OM!!!!! My apology for the last blog. I have downloaded a new off line editor for my MAC. It has caused me problems.  ECTO software lost of some of my saved blogs.  I am back on HP. LOL this is the continuation of our last post Norfolk Festival.  This was a fun night.  As the day went on, we sat on the bow of the and enjoyed the view.

Several Tall ships were in port for the festival.

 

 

Little sails boats came out and paraded (sailed) around. What a colorful event.

 

 

I have to say the Coast Guard put one heck of a show on.  First the helicopter appeared overhead.  It stayed exactly in one spot. It was so cool…

 

 

Then it came closer and closer to the water. They were doing a demonstration of how a water rescue works.   It looks close to the boats only because of a zoom lens.

 

 

Now in this photo if you look really hard you will see an orange dummy. There is also a frog man that is rescuing the dummy. That is what they call the one (frog man) who goes into the water.

 

 

Now the chopper is pulling up the basket with the dummy in it.

 

 

And it went on with a second demonstration.  This photo shows the frogman being lifted up with a dummy.  It’s how they would do it in a real to life  situation.  Awesome event!!!

 

 

As the day went on and everyone was waiting for the fireworks we swim and watched the tug ships play tug a war.    They would go head-to-head and see who could out push the other.

 

 

Boats were coming in all day and rafting off. It was a blast to people watch.

 

 

Finally the sunset and it was getting time for the fireworks. One of the neat things was they brought in two barges to launch the fireworks.  The barge in this photo shows the barge closest to us.

 

 

Then a huge boom!!! This was the first one of the night.

 

 

They shined for nearly 40 minutes.

 

 

Love the heart   Both barges synchronized their fireworks.

 

 

After the fireworks, we watched the smoke dissipate.

 

Thanks for following us. Remember if you have any questions; ask.

What a beautiful morning! We pulled out of Top Rack marina and headed towards Norfolk Harbor Fest. Looks like we might be able to see the fire works after all. What a view. We came across many bridges. And many military vessels. It felt I we were in military heaven. If you are a military buff, you would love Norfolk. Our journey today has seen so exciting and exhausting. We anchored in “Hospital Bay”. It was totally great until another sailor decided to anchor on top of us. He dragged a number of times past us. We were both worried that his anchor would pull up our anchor and if the winds were right he might drag right into us. Enough complaining, a few hours later after dragging nearly to us, they finally moved away. We thought about taking a taxi into port but it was 90 degrees and so many people. We just stayed on the boat had a few beers and enjoyed the view. I will share our day with you now.

This is two bridges together a railroad bridge and car bridge. The railroad bridge is normally open unless a train is coming. But it has been closed for repair during the day and opens around 5 pm. For this weekend, apparently they decided to keep it open.

This is an ocean going freighter. You can tell by the shape of the bow. I have to say his dinghy is as big as our sailboat..LOL

There sure are a lot of cement places here.

The night before we left, we introduced ourselves to the couple at the next table. But darn, I cannot remember their names. I need to right things down. Anyways, never owning a boat; they sold their home and went out and bought this Grand-banks Trawler. They name her “Rash Decision” they are from Stuart Fl.

Look at the gravel pit. There are so many on this route. We came upon another bridge and there was a tow and barge passing under her.

It wasn’t long after passing under the bridge that we started seeing Navy vessels in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

This looks like an old med/hospital vessel that needs major repair. It seems to carry my maiden name (Mckee).

There are so many ships here that has or will protect the USA.

As we travel through Norfolk we must stay something like 1000 feet away from any military vessel. They guard it well. This is a photo of the Navy police keeping anyone from getting to close. See the machine gun on the bow. Not about to argue with these guys!!

Vessel hull Number 98 is in the floating dry dock getting some work done on her. Looks like a Destroyer..

We do believe this is a destroyer.

Now you know with this being Harbor Fest, we would see some old boats. This is a caricature of an steam paddle wheeler that is used to transport people.

The Norfolk Harbor Fest offered visitors tours of some Tall ships.

This is Hospital Bay where we are going to pull in and anchor for the day/night.

Well, seems like the anchor is going to hold. So we will relax now. it’s 90 degrees; it’s time to put the pool up and have a beer!!

We don’t even have to drive our dinghy into the dinghy dock. The water taxi picks you up.

The police and coast guard patrolled the anchorage all weekend. No wake was allowed. This made for a great place to anchor.

Remember when the bridge opened and the bridge master said coffee at 8 AM, I really thought he was joking. Well, It was nearing 7:45 am the following morning when a dock on the boat startled us. I was still in my bathrobe, so Bryce headed up the steps to check it out. A tall man stood there sipping on a cup of coffee. He explained that he was the lock master “I have coffee on and bagels will you be coming over? Bryce was happy to accept his offer. I peaked my head out of the hole and said I need 10 minutes.

This is the seawall we tied up to at Deep Creek Lock. Very nice at a park and free.

So we made over to the lock master house. What an amazing time we had. Robert has to be one of the most sociable people we have met. Not only did he officer the best yogurt with fresh fruit but the coffee, muffins also were delicious. The history of the Dismal Swap was told to us. We learned about peat fires too and how important the swamp is to control the fires. The water level in the swamp is controlled by dams and locks. The canal we came up is only a small part of the Dismal Swamp.

This is Roberts station house for the lock. It was very clean and I loved all his conk shells that he has collected. He even showed us how to make music with them.

  

We headed into the lock, No one else came along for the 12:30 opening.

Robert it was our pleasure to meet you. Thanks for the history & great breakfast.

The lock lowered us 7 feet. Bye Dismal Swamp. If you get the opportunity to visit this area, it is worth it.

So on with our journey from this point. We needed fuel, water and a pump-out. Robert suggested Top Rack Marina. They are known for being atleast ten cents cheaper on fuel. Well, the Top Rack Marina was only 3/4 of a mile back along the ICW, so we headed to it. What a great sunny day. When we came to the area to turn in the direction of Top Rack Marina we noticed this sign. There are two different ways to go south here. The dismal swamp or the ICW. We came from the other end.

Well, once we docked up at Top Rack marina, we were greeted by a young man who helped us tie up to the docks. It was very windy so his help was much appreciated. We told the young man what all we need. He also said the docks were free for the night if we ate dinner up at the restaurant. Sounded like a good deal; but we were not sure if we wanted to due to the fact we haven’t traveled very far. But the winds started blowing, so we stayed the night. A few hours passed by and I heard a boat come in. So I poked my head out and saw a mirror image of Beauty. Another Catlaina 400 pulled next to us. Dan & Martha Bliss and the name of their vessel was Brunelle.

We told them that we had a reservation at 6 for dinner and asked them if they would like to join us. They accepted the offer to join us. What a great time we had. It is always great to met such nice new friends.

The following morning Bryce called Interstate Battery about the one battery that shorted a cell. We had just replaced these batteries in Mobile Alabama. Come to find out It was covered under warranty. Bryce just had to disconnect it and put in on the dock and they would send out a guy to verify that it was indeed a cell gone bad. Bryce broke the news to me that we might have to spend another night at the Top Rack marina. Depends on the time when interstate arrives to check out the battery. I felt bad for Bryce that is one heavy battery at 115 lbs to lift.

Martha and Dan sailed away to head back up to their marina. It is only 150 miles north in the Chesapeake Bay. LOL So we waited and waited. I watched as the crew of the marina took their daily boats in and out of the water. This marina puts your boat in when you call and them. It is pretty neat to watch. ��

I was just coming back up the pantry when I saw a shiny red boat next to us. Bryce was talking to the owner his name is AL and his boat name: Hollowpoint. He was now going to wait for his guests to arrive; then spend the day on the water. Can you see all those boats beyond him? The Top Rack crew put all those in within 20 minutes or so. This was going to be a busy weekend. Just up the river, 7 miles or so in Norfolk is the Harbor-Fest. We are hoping to make it there, because we are told they have the best fireworks. I love fireworks✨

A few hours later nearly 4 P.M., the Interstate Truck arrived. Talk about service, they came directly to our boat!!

Sure enough, the young man (Chad) inspected the battery and agreed with Bryce that the cell was dead. The best part is it was covered under warranty. Thank you Interstate. It was great that we also got dock side service.

Well, we stayed the second night and went out for dinner; so the dock was free. I think it would have been cheaper to pay for the dockage. But it was excellent food. LOL Here we are sitting in the slip for the rest of the evening. The new battery needed to get charged up before we left and anchored out. We are looking forward to getting back on the river again.

Thank you for reading our blog. Remember if you have any questions or anything you would like to share please reach out to us.

Good morning form the seawall  in dismal Swamp.  We had a great night tied up on the wall.  Very peaceful.  The boat in front of us belongs to Ben who we met down at the Elizabeth docks.  He didn’t come out of his boat much, but it was nice to visit with him when he did. 

 

 

While Bryce worked, I when out and took a walk.   It’s funny because the wall we doc on is actually  a rest area for highway 17.  So cars came in and out all during the day.  The ladies working inside the rest area were so helpful.  I filled out the computer info about our boat for them.  They get funding for the Dismal Swamp and it is very important for boaters to stop by and register.  I looked at my watch Bryce; would soon be done with work.  Then we would take a walk over to the State Park and see the history of the Dismal Swamp.

Wow.. The State Park was Awesome had great displays of time past!  Talk about learning a lot… I took some shots of their displays.

 

 

Get this… The Dismal Swamp Refuge is not only the home for many species,  but parts of it was also surveyed by George Washington’s Company.  The Dismal Swamp is also Nationally known for the “Underground Railroad”.  Cool beans

 

 

The swamp is so rich in history.

 

 

Well we continued up the swamp by boat.  It was for the most part a nice trip up the swamp.  We hit hard once or twice on the bottom.  Bryce marked the position on the GPS so we could let the Army Corp of Engineers know where the bad spots are. The ladies in the office at the rest area at Dismal Swamp Welcome Center said to please mark the GPS coordinates and let them know if you scrap bottom or roll over a tree branch.. They really want to keep the river open to boaters. The depth is strictly regulated at 6 feet.  Most of the canal is 8-9 feet.  However, a few spots are 6 feet or less.  That seems to be where the bumps are. We draft 5’6” to our quite wide wing keel.  So we hit most everything.

The Virginia State line runs through the Dismal too. 

 

 

We spent the day in the hot sun; not much of a breeze.  I think sometimes the sun makes me a tad sick if I spend all day in it.  The flower blooms added color to the swamp. Apparently there are thousands of migratory birds in the spring and fall.

 

 

You can see the sides of the swamp are very shallow and full of lily pads.

 

 

The swamp was very straight at times.  I guess I should say most of the time.   It is said the the trail on shore is linear and flat; perfect for taking a bike ride or a walk.

 

 

We had another visitor that just would not fly away.. This butterfly must of traveled a mile or so with us.  Any longer and I would have had to charge it for fuel & dockage!! LOL

 

 

I like this pull through garage. The swap is charming; it just calls for you. It’s slow and the view is kind of sexy and mysterious: if you think about it. 

 

 

We need to be at the next bridge by 3:30.  That is it last opening for the day.  But we decided to stay at another free doc right next to the locks.  We found out that one of our batteries shorted a cell. So with that said, we need a new battery somewhere up the river.  As we traveled up the swamp, we noticed something in front of us.  Bryce looked through the binoculars. We couldn’t make it out. We saw some colors but it was to far for a clear view. We will let you know what it was as we get closer.

This fly is so big and he packs a hard bite so I sent him to his maker.

 

 

After a bit we approached this cute boat. Their shirts are the colors that reflected off the water in the binoculars.   Looks like the three were having fun. Did you notice the tablet in the young man’s hands?  Maybe he doesn’t like fishing, but he seems to be having fun.  

 

 

We finally saw another sail boater coming at us from the opposite direction.  There was more then enough room for the two of us.

 

 

Finally, as we passed through the bridge we told the dock/bridge master that we would not be going through the locks till the following day.  He responded back to us. “Sounds good, coffee will be on at 8:00 a.m.” I stood on the bow and waved to him as we passed by.  Just beyond the bend we tied up to the wall.  The dock was clean and more than deep enough to get into.

 

 

To be Continued: Thanks to each and everyone of you for following us. 

OM…Gosh… . After leaving Elizabeth City, we set sail for another adventure up the Dismal Swamp. Not knowing what to expect, I was a tad bit nervous. It was like when we were preparing to leave for our trip, we were told by so many people not to take a sailboat down the Mississippi River due to water depth. Well, we didn’t listen to them and had the best time.  Water depth was not an issue.  The Dismal Swamp was the same.  We were encouraged to try it by Steve and Judy.  The  swamp is regulated to 6 feet.  We did however have a few hits.  We have a wing keel and she likes to grab hold of things she shouldn’t.  Bad girl! LOL Well, set back and enjoy our trip with us…

First we said goodbye to Elizabeth City.

 

 

This is the Elizabeth City Highway Bridge. We had a small wait as a tow was coming South from the other side.

 

 

As we continued on, it was time to pull out the fenders again to get ready for our first set of locks going up the swamp.

 

 

In this photo you can see the high water water levels from the two tropical storm that dumped a bit of rain in this area.  Although, it turned out the Dismal swamp was at normal level.

 

 

MY heart dropped as we turned the corner. All I could see was this old train bridge. I couldn’t see the opening. It was to be open at all times unless a train was coming.  I didn’t hear a train nor did I see an opening.  I looked back at Bryce; he could see the look in my face.  He pointed to the Starboard side of the bridge.

 

 

OMG!!! are we going to fit through that little opening? Crap… I didn’t see it happening! This is the Norfolk Southern Railroad Swing Bridge. The book says “Normally open hand-operated “.

 

 

It wasn’t until we made our final turn that I saw the the more then big enough opening.   Ok I need a stiff drink!!!

 

 

So we ventured beyond this point.  I noticed some really weathered houses that must of taken the hit of a  few to many hurricanes. Make me feel good that my house is in a none hurricane state.

 

  

 

It’s funny; because as this area twist and turns, there really is so much to see. I saw a shinny body resting on this log as we passed by.  So I grabbed my chair and decided to sit on the bow and see what I could take pictures of.  Here is a turtle sunning on the log.

 

 

Here is a double decker deck with nothing around it.  I wonder who built it? I think it would be neat to have some furniture under the roof.

 

 

OOPS….. dead end. I think we made a wrong turn!! I pulled my self to my feet and started to walk back and tell Bryce he made the the wrong turn. When I heard, “Jane we are fine. I am following the GPS!!”  I mumbled to my self, “yeah it’s not like the dumb GPS is never wrong”. It wasn’t till we get to the very end that I started to see the cut.

 

 

So I noticed more turtles and more turtles.. I have many pictures of these turtles.

 

 

Finally we came up to our turn. What a pretty one it was. But boy, as you approach the area, it takes a while to actually notice where you will be turning.

 

 

If you are reading this and looking at this photo, do you see anything wrong with it? I am not sure but what happen to the old statement of keeping America Beautiful!!  Please don’t litter.

 

 

We came to another end. This time we make a starboard turn.

 

 

I see something shinny up a head. I warned Bryce to look out; he see the log also.  But I had to laugh; the log had a visitor on it.  Now didn’t I tell you I had lots of photos of these little guys. LOL

 

 

Okay I have to show you several more  turtles.  Every where I turn I see a turtle. LOL

 

 

 

As I set or stand at the bow I look for things to tell Bryce to avoid. He knows if I point to either side that is the area to watch out for.  I saw a little branch in front of us. But it started to move a bit faster as we got closer.  That is when I noticed it was a another snake crossing to get to the other side.

 

 

 

OM!!! Look how straight our path has become. You guys this is one of the most beautiful swaps I have ever seen.  We traveled for several hours with this view and I love every minute of it.  Very calm and protected from winds by the trees.

 

 

I didn’t think that this would ever end but did I even want it to.  I could hear the birds and crickets, frogs. and may other types of noises. We had to veer to our port side.  When all of a sudden I noticed……

 

 

 

At first I didn’t have a clue over what I was looking at.  I thought maybe we were at a dam. But I heard Bryce call the lock master.  We arrived right on time 3:30 and the locked opened on time for us.  Good thing.. there was not much room to drift around here.

 

 

We placed our lines on the port side as Al the lock master instructed us to.  When the light turns green we can enter the lock.

 

 

Bryce took the stern and I took the bow lines

 

 

And I took the bow line. I asked Al how much of a rise we will have. He said “Today..  7 feet”.  Notice the water gurgling behind me as it comes into the lock.

 

 

We noticed this cool sign. It showed different distances from here.   New York.. only 473 miles!!

 

 

 

Ok everyone, say hello to Al our lock master. He was so helpful and knowledgeable.

 

 

Now, this is the dam on the Dismal Swamp.  Doesn’t look like much water was going over.  This is one of the two dams that control the water level on the Dismal Swamp Canal that we will travel up.

 

 

After Al got us through the lock, he had to get into his vehicle and drive down the road to the  South Mills bridge to open it and let us through.

 

 

After he opened the bridge, he waved goodbye to us and said he would see us when we come back.

 

 

Ok, about a 1/2 mile or so we had a 65 foot highway bridge  to pass under. No waiting here…

 

 

The park was still open, so the gate was closed.  We had to call this number to have the bridge opened for us. 

 

 

By the time we got to the Welcome Center bridge, it was open.

 

 

It’s funny, because you can’t  tell, but on the starboard side is a sea wall that anyone can tie up to and it’s free. There is a welcome center here and they like boaters to stop by and fill out a small inquiry about you and your boat. There is also a State Park there and it is full of history all about the Dismal Swamp.  Tomorrow we will visit the state Park and head up the swamp.  You can see me relaxing in my chair after a hard day in the swamp!!

 

 

Part two of the Dismal Swamp coming soon. Thank for following us.

 

I must say we have had our share of rain and wind from Tropical Storm Bonnie and now Tropical Storm Colin. We are getting ready to head up the Dismal Swamp today. I am sure it will be a start to yet another great part of our trip.  We have traveled several parts of the ICW that we would like to share with you all.  I just don’t understand why people put down the ICW.  It is so rich with nature and the scenery is spectacular. We have done some motoring and yet we have had great days of sailing.

After leaving Wilmington we turned through Snow Cut to Wrightsville. We anchored in 25 feet of water at mid tide. 

 

 

This was our view at our anchorage. We really had no issues with local boaters. We shared the anchorage with 3 others boaters.

 

 

This is one of the sailboats anchored in the same area of Wrightsville

 

 

We passed this Coast Guard Cutter anchored near the entrance to the bay.

 

 

We have had so much rain. I was happy to see that this ship had its “arms” up. 

 

 

Rain in the distance but the view was still specular.  We could see the rain coming in for miles away.

 

 

The guys looks so relaxed fishing. I wonder if he is playing hooky from work.

 

 

This is another fixed bridge of 65 feet. It is so cool when you have a view of trees and then suddenly opens up to a city.

 

 

This is the view just as we past under the bridge on our starboard side. The couple on the top of the hill were yelling hello to us. LOL

 

 

Wrightsville to Camp Legeune  North Carolina.

I fell in love with this house! PINK

 

 

Look.. you can see the baby birds looking to see who is passing…they are so cute..

 

 

Bryce had to radio ahead to the “Figure eight Island Swing Bridge”.

 

 

Another rain storm from Tropical Storm Bonnie.  The buoys mark a channel through the sand bars.  It was a bit of challenge with the rain coming in.  It was quite well documented in Active Captain.

 

 

We thought this was so neat.  Flag and palm tree in the middle of the entrance to a side channel.  Near high tide located on a sand bar.

 

 

Another bridge opening for us.  Often, we need to time these bridges because they may open only on the hour or half hour.

 

 

Camp Legeune  North Carolina to Morehead City

What an experience following the red buoys in at dark.  WE made a long run and were coming to a tricky part just after dusk.  According the the water guide book, we needed to keep the red buoys close on our left.  We did and had no issues at at.  There were two other boats anchored in the bay and our radar showed them really well. I was on the bow shinning the “Justin’s” light.  I have to chuckle because things seem so different at night. We took a cocktail to the bow after anchorage when we spotted an unlighted helicopter doing maneuvers. I felt I I was in a science fiction movie and something was going to reach down and grab us. LOL

 

 

When we woke up anchored here in Camp Legeune the view was so pretty.  The anchorage was well protected and no tidal current.  LOL.. I suppose it would be well protected with a Division of Marines just off our bow!!!

 

 

We recommend this; is was a good anchorage. 

 

 

There are areas here in the ICW where the Military target practices and they actually close down the ICW during these practices. These look like old tanks that they use for target shooting.  Maybe they should collect all of the old derelict boats from Florida and target practice on them? LOL

 

 

Perhaps this is a tower that they use to watch them blow up stuff. 

 

 

There are signs like this on both sides North & South.  You can also call the Marines and they will tell you if the area is closed.

 

 

I believe this is a duck blind. Boy, it looks kinda close to the City.

 

 

This photo is for our bother-in-law Bill Phillips and a great Cap he is

 

 

Morehead City to Goose Creek

 

We saw this Buzzard sitting in the tree, perhaps looking for his next meal.

 

 

There are a few tows we needed to look for in the ICW.  This shows one such tow coming toward us.

 

 

This picture shows a weather buoy just off the ICW.

 

 

I like this fishing boat.. Great name!!

 

 

 

Goose Creek to Alligator River

 

I have to laugh the rivers look like bays to us.  We sailed this river and really enjoyed it.

 

 

We watched another crab potter collect his cages. I am surprised with all all the carb pots out in the rivers and Ocean. I wonder if there are any crabs left to be had…

 

 

We had a little visitor hitch a ride and just didn’t want to leave us.

 

 

Look a turtle.. the bay turned into a river looking area.

 

 

There wasn’t any home attached to this poor dock. It looks like it has a story to tell.

 

 

This was such a straight path to follow.

 

 

This trawler passed us. He slowed down once he got closer to us.

 

 

Snakes… This little guy breezed past us as he was crossing to the other side

 

 

Well, I was enjoying the view and Bonnie dumped on us again.

 

 

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

We made it into Elizabeth City Docs.  I had to laugh my fanny off.  OM.. Beauty is nearly 14 feet wide and as you all know we carry our kayaks mounted on racks on the out side of the bow. Well, the Water guide books tells you that the slips are 18 feet wide.  Now as we approached the docks, with other boaters and people standing by watching us, we slid into the dock.  Well, we had to figure out why in the heck this dock is so tight. We had to remove the kayaks from the side of the boat.  When many voices came from the dock telling us we need to move to a bigger slip.  Some one suggested I tell the Captain how to do something.  I stood with hands on my hips and replied “I am married to him. I am not going to tell him how to handle his boat.” 40 years of boating I think he knows what he is doing!  Yea right!!  Anyways, somehow we stumbled into a 13 foot wide slip. We did end up moving out and going to the next slip that was 18 feet wide.  After tying up, we all had a great laugh about our coming in and chatted with everyone till dark over a few beers.  The following evening he had a great dinner with Hans & Greta.  We made new friends after we tied up and relaxed. Mike on his boat, Ben with his boat, Terry & Kim were in a slip on the Port side and Hans & Grata on the Starboard.

 

 

Kim and Terry left early the following morning. We figured since we are going in the same direction, we will meet up again.

 

 

Hans & Greta’s boat.

 

 

As always we would like to thank each and everyone of you for following us.

 

Wow.. another day of rain.  So we decided to tour the North Carolina Battleship.  This was a really neat ship considering my all time favorite game to play is Battleship. LOL The North Carolina Battleship was  commissioned on  April 9, 1941.  During World War II, she participated in every major naval offensive attack on the Pacific Ocean earning her 15  battle stars.

 

 

She was known as a protector of aircraft carriers.  She defended carrier Enterprise against air attacks during the battle of the Eastern Solomons , on August 24, 1942.  I like the sea plane.  It was lifted on and off the battleship by the huge hoist on the back.

 

 

Look how big the propeller is. The North Carolina carried out nine bombardments during WWII.  She sank an enemy troopship and destroyed 24 enemy aircraft along with assisting in shooting down many more.

 

 

Her anti-aircraft guns helped halt or frustrate scores of attacks on aircraft carriers.  She steamed over 300,000 miles. The Japanese radio claimed over six times that she had been sunk.  She survived many close calls and near misses.  She survived one hit when a Japanese torpedo hit tore a 30 foot hole in her hull on September 15, 1942.  Check out these 16 inch guns!!  Six on the front, 3 on the rear of the boat.

 

 

Bryce is practicing his aim on one of the anti-aircraft guns.  This picture gives the size of the smaller guns.  There were dozens of these guns on the ship.

 

 

Look how big this 16 inch projectile is.  She carried hundreds of these.  There was a four story rotating supply area below each of the 16 inch turrets.  Here Bryce is near the bottom.

 

 

For all you computer junkies.. Back in these days, there were no digital computers. There were only analog computers. Here is the GUI for the crew in the 16 inch gun turret.  It connected to a huge analog computer down inide the hull of the ship.  The analog computer controlled huge motors that continuously moved these guns as the ship rose and fell over waves. 

 

 

Bryce loves the machine area. Probably because at home he has a small machine shop in the garage.  This picture shows one of the smaller lathes.

 

 

How would you like to sleep here?  I cannot even think of sharing my area… LOL

 

 

There were two huge rudders to steer the ship.  Bryce is standing next to a huge hydraulic actuator used to turn the rudder.  There were two of these actuators on each rudder.  And each rudder could be controlled independently.

 

 

Check out her spare anchor just in back of Bryce.  It weighs 24,000 pounds.

 

 

She had as many 5 inch guns on one side as a destroyer escort carries totally!!

 

 

This battleship carried 15 boats at one time!!!  Three 50 foot boats!!

 

 

Look at the size of this teak deck on the rear of the ship.  This picture also shows the aft 16 inch guns.

 

We were only about 6 miles from the city of Wilmington, so we went to town every day by jet-ski.  As we were entering the city, we saw the fire-rescue boat testing their fire fighting equipment just off the city docks.  Boy, these pumps must really be powerful!!  Pretty cool to see how far they could shoot water.

 

 

It was a bit rainy this day, so we brought our rain suits.  How do you like my new hat??  I got it for Bryce’s birthday!!

 

 

We stopped at “I Love NYC Pizzia”.  We over estimated our appetite and ended up with a lot of left over pizza.

 

 

As we walked the streets, we noticed this “Trolley Pub”.  Apparently, you peddle to move this trolley from bar to bar.  Each bar you can get a drink and carry it along on the Trolley Pub.  No drinking and driving here folks!!  You only peddle..

 

 

Next day, we went in and had drinks and appetizers at “Elijah’s”.

 

 

Here we are at the dingy dock.  With the day slowly slipping away, we headed back to Beauty.  We could see the rain in the distance, so I donned my rain coat.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading my blog.. Have a wonderful day!!

As some of you know, we have decided to wait out Tropical Storm Bonnie 2016 that is slowly headed for Georgia and the Carolinas.  So we traveled well up Cape Fear River to Wilmington North Carolina where we are quite far from the Atlantic and the impending storm.  It has been raining for the last few days and winds have been brisk, but so far no more than about 25 mph.  When the sun comes out, it is a quite humid 85 degrees.

This picture shows the storm track (red line) as of Monday morning.  It is expected to be at Wilmington North Carolina on Tuesday May 31.  Although winds are only 30 mph, gusts will be higher.  So we remain here till probably Wednesday after it passes.

 

 

From our anchorage near the mouth of Cape Fear Inlet we headed up to Wilmington.  During our cruise from the inlet we passed numerous ferries shuttling people and vehicles from/to the mainland to/from the barrier islands.

 

 

And of course the ever present crab potters.

 

 

Just prior to turning into our Brunswick River anchorage, we noticed the bustling Wilmington Port unloading containers from a ship.  This port is just a mile or so down river of Wilmington.

 

 

Later that evening, as we sat on the deck, I noticed some rabbits playing on the shore.  Closer inspection, after zooming in, showed them to be deer grazing in the grass.. LOL  They were so far away, my eyes were deceiving me.

 

 

Fearing the worst, but praying for the best, we decided to fill up the boat with diesel before the storm hit.  We made one run earlier in the day and Bryce made a run early the next day.

 

 

Later the second day, we took a run into Wilmington and disposed of the trash and did some exploring.

 

 

On the way up to Wilmington, we noticed another ship had replaced the ship from the previous day.  Amazing how fast they load/unload these container ships. I wonder how many fall off?

 

 

We passed one of these quite popular Southern double houses on the Cape Fear River. These homes were often characterized by a front porch stair on each side of the front door and mirror image design around the centerline of the house.   Notice identical chimneys, windows and architectural features on each side.   We saw a number of these homes in Charleston South Carolina.

 

 

On the south/west side of the river was the USS North Carolina Battleship.

 

 

May 28th was Bryce’s birthday, so we explored the Train Museum.  Here he is standing in front of a 4-6-0 steam locomotive..

 

 

All aboard.. I am buying tickets to the next train out..  Got my luggage packed and getting it weighed in..

 

 

This Museum has the distinction of creating the largest model train according to the Guinness Book of World Records.  It has on display this huge re-creation of Wilmington during the era of Trains.  This is a picture of a very small portion of the total model railway.

 

 

Bryce was intrigued by this very large “Wheel Lathe”.  It was used to turn the largest Steam Locomotive drive wheels.  It was built in 1892.

 

 

Lastly, we explored the Caboose.

 

 

The Conductor and Flagman sat in these two raised seats on each side of the caboose copula to look for problems with the train such as “hot” axles.  Typically, hot axles indicated lack of lubricant.

 

 

The caboose had all the amenities of life such as ice box, stove, toilet and beds.

 

 

Bryce was insistent on explaining how the brakes and suspension worked on trains.. triple valves, air tanks, brake pads and such…

 

 

I preferred looking at the designer luggage that was on display..

 

Thank you for reading our blog.

Thursday May 26 at 6:30 AM, we left Georgetown Inlet and headed to Wilmington, North Carolina.  It was a great cruise.  Waves 3 feet or less, winds 5-12 MPH.  Since the winds were light and we needed to make the Cape Fear inlet before dark, we motor sailed.  Bryce took the day off from work and we spent the day cruising.  The conditions predicted by passage weather promised a gorgeous day.  So we decided to head out into the Atlantic and get some miles under the keel.

 

We left Georgetown Inlet shortly after day break.  It was a 77 mile run from the outer marker of the inlet we were leaving to the outer marker of Cape Fear Inlet.  Add in about 10 miles from/to the anchorage made for a very long day to get 87 miles.  This is sun rise at Georgetown Inlet as we left.

 

 

The light house at the Georgetown Inlet waved goodbye as we passed it.

 

 

A tug boat and barge greeted us as we were going out.  They were headed to some unknown destination perhaps in Georgetown.

 

 

About 20 miles on our line, we spotted this sea turtle leisurely swimming in the opposite direction.

 

 

Then he poked his head out of the water briefly to say hi to me.. LOL

 

 

We ran a direct course offshore.  Our route would take us about 20 miles offshore from Myrtle Beach.  The blue dot shows our position where we still had internet.  The external antenna on our MIFI really gets out sometimes.  The offshore route was about 77 miles.  We needed to leave the Georgetown inlet on a falling tide at day break.  And we needed to get to Cape Fear Inlet before about 10 PM before the end of rising tide.  However, we preferred to get there before dark.

 

 

Bryce and I relaxed on the cabin top as we motor sailed on our route.  Seas were calm at about 3 feet, winds were 120 degrees and 5-10 knots.  Sun was shinning.  It was quite hot because the wind was behind us.  I debated about getting the pool out.  However, even though the sun was hot, the air was cool.  I just cannot get over how beautiful the crossing was.  If only it could always be this nice. 

 

 

George slept peacefully as we slowly rolled on the quartering seas.

 

 

It did not take log before Bryce followed suit.  I am so jealous.. this guy can sleep through a hurricane.  I get so wired, I can’t fall asleep till I am absolutely exhausted.

 

 

We dropped sails and entered the Cape Fear Inlet just as the last sliver of sun disappeared on the horizon.  We dropped anchor just inside Cape Fear Inlet just after dark.  It was a long 14 hour day.  Glad to be settled for the night.  However, at morning it was time to leave!

We got no sleep; when I say it rolled all night, it did just that.  From side to side.  So bad that the next morning while Bryce was talking to his boss and I was talking to my sister everything went haywire.  Both the computer monitors fell, the coffee pot slid off the counter into the sink.  Everything went flying!  All because the local ferries wakes were so huge!!  My advice is avoid anchoring here.

 

 

As always thanks for reading our blog.. Happy Memorial  day weekend. We are getting caught up with our blogging as we wait for the Tropical Storm to pass.