Ahoy there!

 

Last time we e-mailed we were in Charleston contemplating an overnight passage to take us into the I.C.W at Beaufort. Unfortunately the ocean forecast was not at all good and so we decided to take the I.C.W early starting last Saturday.

The waterway varies considerably. In some areas it is a very narrow canal and in others very wide estuaries but there is usually something to see. Our first section was to Myrtle Beach . At first it was like the Amazon, quite wide with forests of trees right into the water, many dripping with Spanish moss, but later into became a narrow canal. This was the first time that we saw osprey's nests, ospreys were re-introduced a few years ago and have made a splendid recovery. The I.C.W markers are numerous with triangles and squares to aid navigation and these seem to make splendid nest sites. The chicks are still in the nests at the moment, although quite large, and occasionally we saw the parent catch fish and take it back.

 

Parts of the journey were lined with waterfront houses, many of them new builds and absolutely huge! As we were going through the populated area at the weekend it was nice to see people, on the water, barbecuing and having parties. The rivers are packed with small power boats & jet skis. At first it's quite worrying to have dozens of boats buzzing around but we decided the best way was to keep a stately course and ignore them all! Not that we do this when one of the barges heads towards us - we usually turn round and hide in the nearest creek!

Another feature has been the amount of bridges. In the past week we have had 15 fixed height, 4 bascules, 6 swing , 1 pontoon and a cable car! On one alone day we had 13!

 

Finding anchorages caused problems some nights - particularly on the straight & narrow bits, but we managed to find some really peaceful sites. We spotted one area on the chart of completely square deep water, which we had to go for as it was our only choice. When we got there we found an old navy vessel anchored in the corner. We double checked charts & pilot guides and there was nothing to say it was a restricted area. So we settled down with our beers only to have two Marine helicopters circle. They kept disappearing and coming back but didn't seemed bothered by us. Next   thing we heard was the terrific boom of mortar fire! We were quite near the Lejeune Firing Range and they had decided to do night drills. Despite all that we slept well!

 

As we had been pushing the miles & hours all week we decided to have a day off on Thursday and anchored off the town of Belhaven . We took the tender to a small marina to fill the jerry cans with fuel and do some food shopping. The dockmaster said we could leave the dinghy there for a while but the supermarket was 2 miles away - would we like to rent a golf cart to do our shopping as the town did not have a taxi? It was the best fun we'd had for $3! There was so much play in the steering that Andrew could turn the wheel from one side to another and still keep in a straight line. We always take advantage of a supermarket to stock up and Sharon was piled with carrier bags. The supermarket also had the largest range of snuff and chewing 'baccy we had ever seen.

 

Tomorrow, Sunday, we will have a long day but will then be in Norfolk , Virginia and southern Chesapeake , maybe then we can stop moving!

 

Many thanks for your responses - at least we know who's reading the e-mails! We now have several new laundry methods to try. Some of you have been investigating alternatives for South Carolinas state drink of milk. Sharon 's uncle, James, has come up with the best alternative. It may become Paragons signature cocktail. And timing is perfect as its Watermelon Week in the state of North Carolina !

Method:

Cut a watermelon into cubes and freeze.

Once frozen liquidise, add some sugar & a generous slosh of vodka.

Serve in a large glass.

 

Any suggestions for a name?

 

Look forward to hearing from you soon

 

Warm Regards

Sharon & Andrew