Glenns Gone Sailing

Shrimp & Grits at the Charleston Crab House on S. Market St.

Something else we ate today that we’d never tasted before was Kobe beef burgers. Kobe beef is raised in Japan and it has an extraordinary flavor. If you ever have the opportunity to eat Kobe beef, we think you would be pleased.

The museum we went to today is The Old Exchange and Dungeon. A lot of Charleston history is displayed in this museum. The brickwork of the dungeon was beautiful, with cascading arches throughout. A lot of pirates were held in the dungeons, and eventually hung on a point of land where other pirates could view the bodies hanging from the gallows, thereby keeping other pirates at bay and ending the piracy in Charles Town. Blackbeard was not one of them hung on the gallows, but he terrorized Charles Town (as it was called in those days.) Blackbeard was killed in North Carolina and beheaded. It’s reported after he was beheaded, his body swam around the ship three times before it sank.

The Grand Hall on the upper floor of The Old Exchange was exquisite. President George Washington visited Charles Town in 1791 and was entertained in this grand hall. He also went to the St. Michael’s Church and history states he “sat in pew #43”. You know you’re an important person when history states what church pew you sat on.

Tomorrow we are leaving this great area of our nation and heading further south. We’ve enjoyed Charleston so much, we want to spend more time here when we make the trip north.

The Charleston City Marina is very accomodating to transients, providing a shuttle to the downtown area of Charleston.  We took advantage of this service and spent today doing errands and siteseeing.  We went to the Downtown Market which is like a big flea market with lots of different vendors.  Most interesting to us were the basket weavers.  There were a lot of them, making similar basket designs.  Gary had purchased a couple of baskets at the Market years ago and we talked about buying some more, but they had gone way up in price, so we didn’t get any.  However, it was fun to watch the weavers and talk to them.

 We walked around the historic part of Charleston and found a lovely park by the waterfront which had two fountains with wading ponds. (See Photo Gallery)  At first, we thought they were just big fountains, but we read signs indicating the restrictions for their use as wading ponds.  What fun it would be to use them in the heat of the summer.

 We toured one of the historic homes in Charleston today, the Nathaniel Russell house, circa 1808. (See Photo Gallery)  Tomorrow we are going to visit another one and probably go to a museum or two.  This city has a lot to offer to tourist, especially those who are interested in history and the Civil War.

It rained most of the night last night.  Our anchor held tight in Graham Creek and the night was uneventful.  Today offered another scene as we not only motored through rain all day, but also fog.  The fog was not as bad as the day we experienced it on the Chesapeake Bay, however it made today’s travel an exciting  journey.  At times it was hard to see the next mark (route signs in the water), but the GPS helped tremendously and we made our way to Charleston, S.C.  We feel like we’ve really accomplished something spectacular by making it here in the fog.  We even had a swing bridge to navigate through with the fog and we did it!!!

We saw quite a few dolphins today.  I tried to get a picture for you, but it’s nearly impossible to do so.  I’ll keep trying.

We are at the Charleston City Marina near the historic area of Charleston.  The captain gave the galley slave shore leave and we ate at the marina restaurant.  Fried alligator was offered on the menu and since neither of us had ever eaten alligator before, we tried it.  It tastes a little like chicken and has the same texture as chicken.  It had a sweetness to it and the server said that was from the marinade.  He said if alligator is not marinated, it is tough.  I can’t say if I see it on a menu again I’d order it, but now I can say “I’ve eaten alligator.”  I also tried something else I’ve never eaten before and that is boiled peanuts.  Can’t say I liked them.  They are mushy.  I prefer the regular ol’ crunchy ones.

The weather report for tomorrow is promising thunderstorms.  We will probably sitesee anyway, even in the rain.  Unlike traveling on land, traveling on the water is much friendlier during nice weather.  So we actually prefer being at a marina and doing the siteseeing in the nasty weather and save the good days for travel.

Last night was an unusually cold night for this part of the country, with the temps dropping to the high 20’s.  We could see the vapors of our breath again this morning when we awakened.  We’re warm enough to sleep with two down comforters and the two of us snuggled close together.  (Ladies, would you ever think there could be a time when you actually appreciate hot flashes?  This is it!!!  They are a welcome malady during the frigid nights when we have no heat on the boat.)  Everyday I see men sailing down the ICW without a partner, and I think of how much colder they must be than we, without having another person’s body heat to help keep them warm on these below freezing nights.

Personally, I can’t imagine this trip without someone to talk to.  Gary and I are so fortunate in that we truly enjoy each other’s company.  It’s so nice to love, and “like” your partner.  We are each other’s entertainment.  Ask him to sing “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” for you the next time you see him. It’s a riot.  We “crack each other up” sometimes with our antics. For example; the creek we anchored in last night is called Cow House Creek.  When I heard the name of it, I let out a moo that would have frightened any cow out of it’s mind.  It was so bad, Gary asked me to do it again. I embarrassed myself so much, and laughed so hard, I didn’t make a second attempt. It really sounded more like a cow in the middle of birthing a calf.  We are laughing again as we’re talking about it as I write this for you.  If this sounds trivial to you, remember we have no TV.  We are our own comedy/reality show… We have always said, our life together would make a good TV show, with Gary almost dying in 2000; our romance, etc. and now this adventure. It would offer everything a good movie requires: suspense, drama, romance, and a happy ending.  You are either saying, “Ah-h-h-h-h…” or “Gag me with a spoon….”  Oh well….

Today, our journey consisted of mostly motoring through rivers and canals.  The canals in this section of the ICW are through marsh and there is not a whole lot to look at. We did see a lot of egrets, pelicans, and a few blue herons. We’ve been disappointed in not seeing more waterfowl, but we realize it’s just too late in the season to see a lot this far north. We are seeing more dolphins now, which always add excitement to our day.

We saw something else that was interesting, a manmade (person-made) houseboat of the strangest kind, supposedly eco-friendly.  Describing it would not do it justice, so please just look at the photo in the Photo Gallery.

Presently, we are anchored in a marsh, up a little creek called Graham Creek, just off the ICW.  There is no protection here, which we would prefer in case strong winds arise.  But, none of the anchorages in this area offer protection, because it is all marsh.

We are now 440 miles south of Norfolk. We traveled 55.5 statute miles today. The current and the wind were both behind us giving us a push. Tomorrow we should arrive at Charleston, S.C.  We plan on staying there a few days to site-see.  Gary’s father lived near Charleston for a while, so he has been there before; but, I have not.  I’m looking forward to Gary introducing me to the area.

Today we logged 45 nautical miles. This is the first day our nautical miles were less than our statute miles.  Statute miles are how travel is measured over the land. What made the difference today was we were going against the current almost the whole day.

We went by Myrtle Beach today. There were lots of huge homes with fancy architecture, swimming pools, fancy fences, and fabulous landscape with lots of palmetto trees. A lot of the homes were on golf courses. Myrtle Beach has well over 100 golf courses, according to the Cruising Guide. We passed the Myrtle Wood Golf Course (a sign faced the ICW), and since I had the name of the course, I e-mailed one of my sons who is head-pro at Hillcrest Country Club in Indy, and asked him if he’d ever golfed there. He did when he was in college and the only thing he could remember about it was it had a green on an island. Since my golf balls always love the water, I’d probably still be trying to get a ball on that green…

Even the fixed bridge in the Myrtle Beach area, the Grande Dunes Bridge, was ornately adorned with colonial lampposts and fancy architecture. (See Photo Gallery)

Our route today took us down the Waccamaw River, with lots of bends and turns making it a fun river to navigate. Autumn arrived here much later in the year, as there is still a significant amount of autumn color in the trees and bushes. We are far enough south that the Spanish moss is in a lot of the trees. I remember the first time I saw Spanish moss in trees and I thought it was so interesting and picturesque. There is an eerieness to it and a mystic that makes me think of the deep south and a bayou. There are also a lot of cypress trees at the edge of the water with their “knees” (roots) protruding out of the water, sometimes visible only at low tide.

We had a dinner including the fresh flounder purchased at Carolina Beach. Flounder is quickly becoming our favorite fish. Does anybody know where fresh flounder can be purchased in Indy? Something I learned at the seafood shop where we purchased the fish is flounder has a dark side and a white side. The clerk asked me which I wanted and I told her I didn’t know a fish had dark and white. She flipped the fish over and showed me. Sure enough, one side was dark and the other white. I won’t repeat the exact words of my astonishment…after all, I am a sailor. She said, “Yeah, just like a chicken.” I asked, “What’s the difference between the dark and white?”; because when we ate the whole flounder the other night, we didn’t notice any difference in flavor in what we were eating. She said, “The dark is meatier.” So of course, we got the dark. And just like the other night when we had flounder for dinner, it was excellent. Just dipped in egg, dusted with cracker meal and a little fish seasoning, and then fried in a light oil. Squeeze a little fresh lemon on top and as Gary’s Uncle Carl would say, “It’s so good, it’ll make your tongue flap your brains out.”

We are anchored up a small creek just off the ICW tonight, which means no heat in the boat. The evening chill is starting to take hold of the inside of White Swan, so I’ll say “good night.” as I go snuggle under two down comforters to get warm and read for awhile before sleep overtakes me.

After getting out of the dockage area, we had to go to the pump-out station to dump the “head”, thereby fighting the current again. Leaving the dock this time was difficult but not like leaving the dockage area. I clipped the dock again with the stern, but again no damage was done. When the current is so strong  it keeps you pinned against a dock, it’s nearly impossible to pivot the boat away from the dock. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have more opportunities to practice that maneuver…

We had heard through a friend, who is already in Florida with her boat, that she got word through the Cruiser’s Net that a bridge in the southern North Carolina area was closed due to construction. We really appreciated the heads-up regarding this, because that was exactly where we were traveling today. (Cruisers are really great at networking and helping each other out.) As it turned out, we delightedly found the bridge open when we got to it. (God watches over children and idiots.)

Our next hurdle was a “pontoon bridge”. We’ve never heard of this type of bridge and had no clue how it operated. We timed it right to get to it okay for the hourly opening, but the boat in front of us lagged way behind the boat in front of her, and until the bridge-tender threatened to not wait any longer for us to go through, the boat in front of us did not speed up to get through it in good fashion. After she did speed up, we had to go full throttle and still lagged behind, but the bridge-tender kept it open so we could go through as well. The lesson learned in that experience was: If the boat in front of us is not moving on up to the bridge while awaiting it’s opening, don’t worry about etiquette, and get ourselves up there. In this case, we would have had to wait another hour for the next opening if the bridge-tender decided to close the bridge and not wait for us to get through. (God watches over children and idiots.)

This is how the pontoon bridge operated: The section of the bridge that sits on the pontoon (including the Pilot’s house), swings like a swing bridge only the whole section floats right on top the water. If the wind is over 25 miles an hour, it will not open. Our hunch is, this type of bridge will some day be obsolete; so, we were glad for the experience of going through one. At the site of this pontoon bridge, a new fixed bridge is under construction and is to open in 2010.

Making it through the pontoon bridge (which is in North Carolina) by 4:00 PM, allowed us to arrive at our intended anchorage for the night (in South Carolina), just before it got dark. Actually, it’s almost 6:00 PM and I can still see the shore. When we started this trip on November 4^th, it was getting dark right before 5:00 PM. So we are south enough now that we have an extra hour of daylight. We are still not having constantly warm days yet, but it’s warmer here than in Indiana. And, we don’t miss the snow. We are definitely “snowbirds” now.

Thanks again for your e-mails. If I don’t reply right away, know that it’s because we have no cell phone service in whatever area we are in at the time.

Galley slave duties are calling me, so this is all for now.

We’ve been getting e-mails asking how to leave a comment on this website.  To do so, look under the caption for the blog you are reading and you’ll see (in very small print) the date, by Jean,No comment yet (or comment with a number)- click on “comment” when the hand icon pops up and it will pull up a screen where you can leave a comment.

Caution:  Your comment can be viewed publically, so if you don’t want everyone to read it, you can still e-mail us at glennsgonesailing@gmail.com

We’re so glad you are enjoying our website.  We love hearing from you.

She and Bill found a really nice marina for us to stay while we are here. It’s the nicest marina we’ve stayed at this whole trip. (The laundry was very nice, clean, and inexpensive to use the machines. Yeah!!! I got to do laundry!)

　12-9-09  

 We spent most of the day with Deborah Levin today. She picked us up and took us on a daylight tour of the island, and then to the North Carolina Aquarium. The main attraction at the aquarium was an albino alligator; (see Photo Gallery) but, the whole aquarium was very nice. The islanders are quite proud to have it on their island, and they should be.

 After the aquarium, Deborah drove us to Wilmington, which is 18 miles from the island. Like all the other larger coastal towns we’ve been to, there is a historical part of town- quite picturesque, with the Spanish moss hanging from trees, and huge homes with interesting architecture.

On the way back, she took us to a seafood market where we got fresh flounder and red snapper. Then, she insisted we use her car to go to the grocery, etc., which was a gift to these “cruisers”.

We met Deborah and Bill at the restaurant that he manages and had a wonderful dinner with them. The food was fantastic and we had a great time visiting with them. It was a fun day.

The wind has been gusting up to 50 miles an hour today, with some rain. However, the temperature was in the 70’s. The wind is suppose to be more manageable tomorrow and we plan on leaving Carolina Beach in the morning to resume our trip south.

Deborah Levin and the Glenns at the North Carolina Aquarium 12-9-09

For dinner, I prepared fresh flounder that we got from a little seafood shop in Belhaven. When I say fresh, I mean we picked out the whole fish and we watched as it was filleted for us. I can’t even describe how good it was. My cousins in Kentucky use the phrase, “I’ve floundered myself.” when they eat too much. Now that I’ve eaten truly fresh flounder, I think I know of which they speak. I could have eaten it until I stuffed myself.

As we were leaving the Ace Hardware, a nice young man overheard us asking directions to get to the grocery store, and offered to take us there since he was going there as well. “Frank” was delightful. He grew up in this town; now lives in Raleigh where he owns a hair salon (yes… and he had very nice stud diamond earrings); he also owns a home on the water near here on the Pamlico River; he is in town for his grandmother’s 100^th birthday; and he told us a recipe for oysters that sounded delicious. It doesn’t take us long to make new friends. We are collecting them in all the ports…typical sailors.

It’s rained off and on today. After this sprint of rain ceases, we are going to go for a walk just to get exercise. I thought we were getting sufficient exercise by doing tasks around the boat; but the scales are telling me differently. Making the bed seems like an aerobic exercise to me. I climb up and make it while on my knees, being careful not to hit my head on the bulkhead that’s at our feet area. There are walls on three sides of the bed. You can use your imagination if you like, and make your bed at home in this fashion, and experience the benefit of aerobically making your bed….or not…Every task on a boat seems to involve bending and stretching. Some things, like hoisting the sails, even get your heart rate up. Sailing and living on a boat is not for wimps. It’s a totally different lifestyle than living in a home. Gary and I are enjoying everything about it…except the MOLD…

We can’t download the pictures for these last two blogs because we presently have no cell phone service.  I’ll update the Photo Gallery as soon as I am able to do so.