seaDee rests in Green Cove Springs

We woke to a clear, calm, cloudless sky. The water was like glass. We even had favorable currents all the way to Green Cove Springs where seaDee now rests. It was another amazing day cruising. Jim is now back in NYC/NJ. SeaDee is tied up in Reynolds Marina in Green Cove Springs and I’m completing several boat projects. Wink and Wilma are here, as are Joe and Neil. More Great Harbors’ are expected. A reunion of sorts. Looking forward to Thanksgiving at David Allen’s apt. Dee and Geoff are flying in. I’ll be back in NJ for awhile after TG.

The photo above, was taken in the Frederica River. Click on it for a larger image.

Seadee Threatened!

Amelia Island, Florida

Heavily armed forces of the United States Coast Guard threatened the Trawler Seadee yesterday forcing her to "stand down" for the passage of a United States Navy nuclear submarine.

While discussing options for lunch, the Captain and crew were surprised by the rapid approach of an armed Coast Guard patrol boat. Most disturbing was the presence of a manned 50 Caliber machine gun on the bow of the Coast Guard vessel. Serious dudes with serious weapons

Seadee was forced out of the channel and lunch was delayed.

As the submarine approached, Seadee was again approached by yet another heavily armed Coast Guard vessel and forced to bring engines to "all stop" and turn her bow away from the submarine.

Fearing for their safety, the crew was unable to document much of the incident but did get these photos of the sub.

The United States government has refused to issue an apology for this inexcusable delay of lunch.

Buenas Noches...

...might have been the title of this edition had the British not

repelled the Spaniards in the Battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742. A pivotal battle in the War of Jenkis Ear (I don't make this stuff up).

We're anchored in the Frederica River just outside the site of the battle which took place on what is now St. Simon's Island.

Another gorgeous anchorage.

Left with the sun again this morning. I don't think I've seen as many sunrises in the past 20 years as I have on this trip. Or at least I didn't enjoy them as much...

Not a lot of boat traffic today - lots of dolphins again and a couple of shrimpers.

We're having big fun watching these guys try to get their dinghy out of the mud. They tied up to the dock in high tide and it's now low - 7 foot tide here. We're easily entertained.

Speaking of which...cold beer, Monday Night Football and finally I got Andy to fire up the grill for the much anticipated Bubba Burgers!!!

Hasta la vista Amigos y Amigas.

Every Man a Captain!

I didn't realize I would get a new title when I got on the boat. But at every marina I'm addressed as "Captain", even though I'm not THE Captain. The marina dockhands never know initially who's in charge of the boat, so they call every man on board "Captain". I've gotten used to it, so next time you see me, you know what to do...

I'm told all women are "Admirals" but have yet to witness that for myself.

Blog or be flogged was the message I got today and I have a lot of water to cover.

Andy and I have been on the boat by ourselves since Tuesday and as yet no mutinies and no plank walking.

We arrived in Charleston late on Wednesday afternoon. Had a great dinner at Cru Cafe after a long cruising day. We've had a great run of weather since Noel ran up the east coast but it has been a little cooler than we had hoped.

A layover day in Charleston on Thursday. I promised my friend Rich that Thursday would be "talk like a pirate day" Aaaaarrrrgggg!!!, but that only lasted about 30 seconds. Don't tell him.

We spent a pleasant day in Charleston which for us turned out to be way more about great food than history or architecture although we did watch the 35 minute film "Forever Charleston" at the visitors' center. Not total slackers... Dinner by the way was at Magnolia - outstanding!

We rose before the sun on Friday to a very cold morning - actually encountered some frost on the deck as I was bringing in the lines. But is was again another beautiful sunrise and a great cruise to Beaufort, SC. Dolphins swimming with us quite often throughout the day and we have yet to get a picture of them.

Beaufort was another pleasant stop (although almost every place was closed when we got there). where THE Captain finally embrace "low country" cuisine and had Shrimp and Grits at Emily's. Great sunset, great laundromat at the City Marina and early to bed.

"Welcome to Paris Island!!!" Words I never wanted to hear, but if you do, just dial 1-800Marines (see the water tower) and they'll fix you right up.

The armed forces love the Carolinas. Every time we pass a military installation Andy sends me out on the bow with a camera to test the security guards.

Passed Savannah earlier than we thought, so we pressed on to Buckhead Creek, the most beautiful anchorage I've ever seen. Completely isolated, no other boats, great sunset coming up. Speaking of Savannah, some nice cottages along the water:

Next up, the big decision - Bubba Burgers on the grill or Chicken stir fry. Cast your votes soon, it's happy hour!!!

Anchored in Buckhead Creek

Buckhead Creek GA.

 

 

 

Beaufort SC

It's sunny and warm in Beaufort SC.  We're in the Downtown Marina. 

 

updates and photos coming soon.

 

Charleston

We arrived at 4:15.  Charleston.

 

Rockpile!

No, not Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, although we are now in "low country" (sorry), but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We spent Monday night in an anchorage in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Thank God the satellite dish was working and Espo was able to watch the Steelers game or there would most certainly been mutiny.

We woke up to discover that due to current and wind, we were in a precarious position relative to a couple of sailboats and had to beat it out of there. Bade farewell to Espo and the contents of our holding tank (we were sorry to see Espo depart, but glad to unload the rest) and headed for the Cape Fear river.

Along the way a few Marine patrol boats came out to gawk at Seadee -

and later we were forced to repel a band of pirates.

We now know how Cape Fear got its name. Wind and current combined to give us quite a bumpy ride and scrambled the contents of all the cabinets not to mention my brain.

Spent the night at the Saint James Plantation Marina. Highlight was finding the same bottle of wine that I had paid $21 for in Portsmouth for $11.99 (sorry Larry, not the Reisling).

Got up long before the sun in order to get in a long day today so we can make Charleston tomorrow night. Cold down here at 5:30AM. Damn cold!

Which brings me back to the Rockpile - a very narrow channel in the Waterway blasted out of granite. Not much margin for error or passing, but as usual, the Captain did a masterful job.

We were rewarded at the end of the day with a beautiful cruise down the Waccama River with no one in sight for miles, moss on the trees, and the sun shining brightly.

Finally crossed the border today in to Sout Carolina. We're in the Wacca Wache Marina where we will have an early dinner at the Boondocks River Grill and another early departure tomorrow AM.

Now I gotta find out if Andy has any Rockpile on his I-Pod.

10-27/11-3-07 A Week's Adventure - Larry's Recap

What a week it was. The Intercoastal Waterway, Coinjock, the World Series, "the life changer", XM on the flybridge, strong men and stronger coffee, the Weather Channel, Alligator River, maps, books & planning, the Milky Way, wine, vodka, and "lady Heineken", Honey Crisp apples, the Neuse River, New Bern, a glimpse into the boat community, a thousand laughs and so much more. It was a good journey made great by the company of Captain Andy and Jim.

On the Move Again

The weather has been in our favor and we are on the move. Swansboro last night and in Wrightsville Beach today. Not much to say about Swansboro. The marina was fair. Tied up in the afternoon and watched football. Espo fixed a chicken stir fry for dinner (nice) and ended the evening with guitar in hand. Great fun.

We're now seeing Dolphin every day. The water has changed. Cleaner, greener. Now, when you drop the anchor, you see it on the way down.

Today was our most challenging in terms of route planning. The bridges in NC have restricted openings. We timed our departure in order to make the bridge opening and que us up for the next one. If you don't time it right, you can sit for as much as an hour. One of the bridges was closed from 1-4pm. We made the 1pm opening.

Espo is again in the galley - Shrimp Marinara, fresh green beans and whole wheat pasta. Speaking of shrimp: the shrimp boats have also been on the move.



What about NC attracted the military? There are bases everywhere. Today's route included this little gem.



Photofest on the flybridge: Jim and Espo



Andy and Espo. Who is not wearing underware?

New Bern NC

Noel? A hurricane on Nov 2? We are tied up at a marina in New Bern NC waiting for Noel to move off shore and north. Expecting 30-45 mph winds Friday. We will be here until Sunday. Espo has joined us and Larry flew back to St. Louis. We'll try to get to Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach) by Nov 6th. Espo will jump off there and Jim and I will continue south.

We are ready to go. Hit the farmers market and stocked up on fruit and veggies - even picked up some home made bread. While filling the cabinets with goodies we came across the world's largest Slim Jim display. By the way, New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi. Now you know.




I've added some photos to the posts below. Here are a few that we snapped along the way:

Cruising the Neuse

When you last heard from us, we were at the Alligator River Marina. Home of Miss Wanda and "World Acclaimed Hamburgers"



The burgers were indeed fabulous, and Miss Wanda, a force to be reckoned with entertained us with her own brand of Southern Hospitality during our dinner in the convenience store.

Yesterday we left early morning headed for Bellhaven. We had great weather and seas and decided to pass Bellhaven in favor of a secluded anchorage further south.

After cocktails aboard Pathfinder with Chris and Marianne, we dinghied back to Seadee for "Faux Chicken Parm" over linguine courtesy of the Captain. Quite good actually. Nobody's losing any weight on this cruise.




Beautiful star filled sky last night - water like glass when we arose. Campbell Creek was a great anchorage.

It should be noted that Larry has risen before the sun for the past 2 days. BIG problem this morning when the coffee maker failed to report for duty. Looks like we'll have to replace it in New Bern. Showing remarkable resilience, the Captain and crew settled for tea...

We're now cruising up the Neuse River on our way to New Bern, NC to hole up for a few days of what we anticipate will be bad weather. Aside from a couple of ferries and a handful of sailboats we've had the river to ourselves almost all morning.

Day 3 Oh Ya!

Ahoy...what day is it?....Oh, it's Tuesday and we're at the Alligator River Marina.  It's been a fabulous day...sunny no wind or waves to speak of.  Sun on the bridge today was one reason why we're all here.  No shower or shave today, maybe tommorow...

Seem to be getting some flack for the "Larry time".  This means getting up after the sun, you know, like you're on vacation!

Weather tomorrow looks great.  I'm being threatened with an early departure.  Captain Andy and Jim are great travel partners.  Life on the Seadee...the way it should be!

Larry  8:50pm 10-30-07

 

 

Sunrise in Coinjock...

...is a beautiful thing. Mist on the river, red sunlight through the pines, boats quietly leaving the marina to resume the parade south.

Yesterday was my first day at Sea with Andy and Larry and it was a fine one. A bit cooler than we had hoped for, but it should warm up today. Lots of bridges, locks, and some open water to end the day.

My cardioligist will be happy to note that we all punked out on the 32 oz. Prime Rib that is the pride of the Coinjock Marina restaurant.




I did have a life changing experience last night but can't talk about it. You'll have to jump on board for a few days to experience it yourself.

We're on "Larry time" today which means I was supposed to sleep until 9 because we have a short day ahead of us and we don't expect to find a lot to do at the Alligator River Marina - our destination today. But the early activity woke me and I couldn't resist the opportuinty to hijack Andy's blog for a minute.

Big "ups" to the Captain for threading the needle last night and getting us into the tightest berth I've ever seen at a marina. For those of you who've never had to dock a boat, it's a nerve-wracking experience in the best conditions. never mind doing it with wind and current and a big audience on the dock waiting for you to screw up. The skippper of Seadee has a whole new level of respect from his fellow captains.

Hearing a little activity down below now, time to sign off and get the rest of the day started.

I'm sure you're still wondering "what the hell is a coinjock?" Google it - I gotta go...

Norfolk, Coinjock NC

Finally made it to Norfolk. Three days of the worst weather I have ever seen. I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Wind,rain. Wind RAIN. WIND, RAIN.

I have some photos of Norfolk, but it's the same war ships that we've seen before on the trip north. Still impressive, still gray.

Jim and Larry are now aboard.









What fun. We are having a great time. More wind in Norfolk and we waited it out by eating, drinking and very a very interesting night at the Commodore Theatre. A movie theatre serving dinner and a movie. In this case, the movie was Michael Clayton. Three thumbs up.

50 miles today. A great day on the water. Now in Coinjock NC. Famous for 32oz prime rib and fuel.

You may now see some posts from Larry and Jim. Could be weird stuff. Reader beware.

Still in Jackson Creek

The weather has been against me.  Rain, wind and nasty seas.  Sill anchored in Jackson Creek.  I'm trying to get to Norfolk to pick up Jim and Larry Saturday.  The waves have been so bad that a boat capsized two miles from here.  3 people had to be pulled from the water by the Coast Guard.  I need a weather window of about 7 hours to get out of the Chesapeake and into the protected waters of Norfolk.  Just heard from Brook and Dee (East Passage) who are also waiting to go south.  They are about 3 hours north of me in Urbanna. 

 

Jackson Creek on the Piankatank River

Thunderstorms made today's leg more interesting than planned.  Now at anchor in Jackson Creek with about 17 other boats.  World Series tonight!  Hot dogs and popcorn for dinner. 

 

Solomons MD

A pretty, but windy day in Solomons. Stayed in the marina waiting for the winds to change from South to North. A beautiful sunrise!

Annapolis to St. Michaels MD

There are a few less crabs in St. Michaels tonight. A lobster from Maine also found the pot. A great meal with Tom and Gail (the trawler Gale Force), and Tom's brother Danny and wife Nancy.



After a short 4 hour passage across the Chesapeake, we assaulted the Crab Claw (a restaurant in St. Michaels') and took no prisoners.



Early Mon morning, I'll be off to Solomons MD.

Annapolis MD

From the serenity of the Bohemia River to the mecca of sailing/cruising - Annapolis. We started the day in heavy fog. It lifted about 10:30am and we were off. Travelled down the Chesapeake in the company of Pathfinder (a Mainship 400). Pathfinder runs a knot or two faster than seaDee and arrived an hour ahead. We're both in the mooring field in downtown Annapolis.

On the way to Annapolis, I looked behind me and saw this guy in the distance. Thought I was on the set for Master and Commander.



The harbor in Annapolis



Sunrise the next morning