Have fun with the tide..we are in Charleston

When you see these colorful houses picture below, imagine the houses build by all kind of Nations after Tsunami 2004 in Aceh, Indonesia ... every color represent of Nation who was funding it...only..the different is the size and the style... In Aceh all house same size and style, 2 bedrooms,  kitchen, living room ... not like some of these monster houses.

Another sunset after a long day on the water ... in Southport.

Students from the local high school studying Environmental Sciences testing the water ... they unanimously concluded not to drink the water.

The everything corner store ... one of the many character shops in Southport.

Southport Pier ...

Sunrise on leaving Southport back in the ditch heading south.

An unfortunate reality on the water ...

Floating Casino Boat ... Aqua Casino (or something) ... ;-)

This was another Mermaid ... 

it is a wind vane that and she is about 2 meters in length ... 

Myrtle Beach Light House ... 

  

Our Anchorage in he Cyprus Swamp area on the Bull Creek ... fresh water but very organic in color.

With beautiful trees along each side .. a little different from the marsh grasses that we typically see along the ICW.

Water Aster?

p/v "Finally Fun" off for another day along the water way.

Anchorage in Price Creek about 30 nm from Charleston.

More Sunsets ... 

Had a beautiful dinner with Andy and Sharon (aboard "Finnaly Fun") and George and Joanne (aboard s/v "Romanta Sea") ...

Ben Sawyer Swing bridge just before Charleston ...

with the local "wildlife" ...

The STAR of the day ... Maritna.

In Charleston we met a beautiful Italian Family and spent the day together getting errands done around Charleston ... you know West Marine, Banking Stuff, Provisioning (getting low on Beer) ...

... and met Peter and Emanuel from s/v Emanuella from Port Credit ...

Low Tide in Charleston ... 

Dinner with Peter and Emanuel ... great catching up with them.

Look forward to seeing them on the way down .. or in the Bahamas ...

Norfolk to Beaufort, NC - Experience through the storm..

This chapter is getting under way again to move south the next leg. We want to just get moving as we have been in one place too long. Have seen a lot and want to move on to some new experiences.

So we depart from Hampton to begin the travels south ...

Hampton University

Warship heading out to sea ... so many delays in getting out of Norfolk, if it wasn't security perimeters around warships it was lift bridges that were being repaired or worse yet ... train bridges that made us late for hourly openings of downstream bridges ... this day we only get 15 miles due to all these delays ...

These big guys are everywhere ... 

Red Buoy at Mile ZERO, Hospital Point, Norfolk.

There were a "few" boats in Hospital Point Anchorage.

s/v "Sea Salt" a new Island Packet 40 something ... in talking with the captain they had 1-1/2 foot cut off the mast to make is an ICW friendly vessel ... now only 62' mast and then antenna on top.

The guard dog ... friendly shelty ...

What do boaters do hen they arrive in places ... get together and chat about their experiences ...

more talking .... meet some great people ...

The short free wall at Great Bridge ... fills up quickly after a boat or two leaves. "Saber Tooth" tied up behind Island Packet 36, called "Simple Life". Those Island Packets ... they are everywhere.

While we were staying two days at Great Bridge there was a Waterway festival ... great food and local fair of Honey and Jams, Pies and other backed goods.

Here is a commercial Barge coming through ... we had seen this guy going by a couple of days before full of diesel fuel ... now empty. Not sure where it all went though?

Had a cruisers cocktail party .... every one brings something ...

.. and share something ... not sure if it was meaningful ... Mark was being polite I think?

John, Tom and Joe just before going off to our boats ... it is dark outside you know ... almost bed time.

Through the grasslands of North Carolina  

Some of the great people we meet along the way ... s/v "Romata Sea" .... 

After the Cocktail Party at Great Bridge Geoge had left his nice nautical insulated glass ... we met up with them and made passed the glass over them them "on the water" ... not me handling a boat hook with a plastic bag on the end with the cup inside ...

... p/v "Finally Fun" .. another couple attended our cruisers cocktail party at Great Bridge .... 

.. after a long day at the wheel ... we are done ... anchored at last!

... we anchor in this open bay with 5 - 10 kn wind out of the south ... and the wildlife abound.

... calm night coming . we hope ... 

... Saber Tooth in the background ... we were kindly invited over for dinner aboard "Finally Fun" and had a very noce evening ... then had to like "eat and run" at about 8:00 PM when the rain started ... 

later that night the thunderstorms came through with winds of 35 kn (40 mph)  and heavy driving rain.

The advantage of heavy severe weather is that it is typically over quickly ... within 30 minutes it was to a light rain and very light breeze. 

The following morning ... all looked as if nothing had happened ... back to normal beautiful sunrises at 6:45 .. 

and we are off again ... 

Colorful house and deck chairs ... nice cottage.

Dolfins .... again!