Happy Halloween!
We are in Charleston waiting for boat parts to arrive tomorrow. Meanwhile, the girls have been busy decorating, carving a pumpkin, and preparing for a dock party! Here are some pictures of the decor, more pictures of the day to follow....
Hi friends,
Right now we are anchored in Dewees creek, near mile marker 455 on the ICW.
On the 23d of Oct we rode the fairy over to the Aquarium at Fort Fisher with Kurtis and Chrissy, at the Aquarium we saw crocodiles, jellyfish, sharks, stingrays, sea stars, moray eels, seahorses, porcupine fish, and some other animals too. We also saw a diver in a big tank. I thought it was neat because you could ask her questions and she would answer them from underwater in the tank! My favorite animal was the porcupine fish. It looked a lot like a puffer fish. At our marina (Barefoot Marina), Jessica and I went swimming in the pool. It was cold and really big. It was 3/4 of an acre big, and even had an island in it. One night we were staying at our marina, we drove over the bridge to a restaurant called The River City Cafe with my Grandma Jo, Grandpa Carl, John and Marie. And you were given a basket of peanuts, and when you were done eating one, you could just throw the shell on the floor.
Bye for now,
Madeline
And of course we weren't really "rounding" Cape Fear. We were cowardly scurrying around the back side of it throught the intracoastal waterway. The thought of ocean sailing around Cape Fear really does send shivers through my spine.Hi friends,
right now we are in Wrightsville Beach,
My Grandma Jo and Grandpa Carl have come to visit us. They are on a car trip in the United States and have been through Georgia, Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, and probably some other states too. They brought us real cotton that was still on its plant. It was very soft when we took all the seeds out of it.
yesterday (the 19th) my dad got interviewed by a reporter and then got put on the News! I thought it was funny because he was walking back to the dinghy and this News reporter just started asking him questions like were you scared in the gale-force winds, if you go to a previous post you will find it.On thursday when we went to the beach I found a pretty pink scallop shell that was not broken I kept it ,that day when Jessica and I were playing in the water I suddenly spotted a jelly-fish so when ever a wave came we ran out of the water so that the jelly fish wouldn't sting us. It was fun. At the beach in Swansboro, I found a serrated shark tooth. It was black and sharp. Last night the wind was blowing up to 35 knots. I was half excited, half worried. I was worried because I have never been in 35 knots of wind, and I was excited because I didn't know what it is like to be in 35 knots of wind.
Yesterday we used my Grandma Jo and Grandpa's car to go into Wilmington and see the Children's Museum. I thought it was neat because we grew bacteria, did some pasta art, and they had a lotion that you could put on your hands and then go into the 'glow room' and all the germs on your hand would light up. My favourite part was the play grocery store.
More adventures to come .....
Madeline
I can't believe this made the final cut.
http://dig.abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video/2011/10/19/wtvd101911_wrightsvillebeach.mp4
I have to confess that I am a worrier. I come by it honestly, as does my daughter and her Grandmother and her Great Grandfather. I am sure the worrier gene can be traced back many generations. However, as far as I can tell, none of these tightly wound ancestors of mine ever decided to captain a boat. Likely good reason for that.
Captaining a boat takes a certain faith. You need to trust your equipment, your engine, your rig, and, especially tonight, your anchor.
Unfortunately, I don't.
And so tonight as my children softly snore in the forward berth, and as Mother Nature roars outside our little craft at 35 knots, I sit, worrying.
Worrying is not so terrible a thing when used correctly. When worrying forces one to check the engine several times a day one tends to find things like low oil, air headed for fuel systems, and alternators dangling precariously from loosening bolts. Worrying can save one from certain disaster.
However, worrying eventually eats into sleep, snatches the cozy pillow, and hurtles one into the cockpit and onto the rainswept deck to check the anchor. The other captains, without the worrying gene, sleep soundly in boats next to us while I type, trying to distract myself from the time, the waves and the howl of the wind.
In the end I guess I will learn that when the "Witch of November comes callin'" at "only" 35 knots, I too should just stay in bed. But tonight she and I will share this cockpit and stare together into the dark.
Last night we anchored in Town Creek, just north of Beaufort, North Carolina. As we entered the inner harbour I spun the boat to place our anchor and CRUNCH, we stopped dead.
Based on the rest of the debris in the harbour from Hurricane Irene I assume I passed over a dead boat. While I should have had at least 8' below our keel it is evident that there is something lurking in the depths of Beaufort - that goes crunch in the deep.
We have made it to Swansboro, NC. this morning. While we normally like to anchor it has been recommended that we take a marina due to the current of at least 1.5 knots. That will turn in the night, swing our boat at anchor, and threaten to drive us into the bridge to the north of the anchorage. Things like this keep the captain from sleeping at night.
Marinas offer peace of mind. (Julie notes they have a great shower here.)
They say you cannot stop time and time stands still for no one.
Yet here we are in mid October, enjoying the weather of July.
I believe that we might have managed to turn time backwards.
And just for this moment, for the briefest of seconds, our children are with us, playing at a park, something they will not do forever. We have managed to grasp the most fleeting of childhood moments and try, for the briefest of instances, to hold on.
And for a moment, time has stood still.
As with most great expeditions eventually mutiny rears it's ugly head. I believe that the crew of the good ship Cee Jem is just about at this stage.
The problem is that they appear to not want to move further south.
We have arrived at River Dunes Marina after eight days on the hook. Julie, the Admiral, and mutiny ring leader, claims that after 8 days of anchoring, she is looking for a better lifestyle and that we will be here for two days.
I have to admit that it is nice to have the time to do laundry, clean the boat, not run the generator, and sleep through the night.
Hopefully this mutinous crew will continue south after some much needed R&R.
Here are some pictures of this fantastic place to be holed up.
This week we have done a lot of fun things.
We have been to a tasty cafe.
We have been to a Living Museum, they had a touch tank and we got to touch starfish, horseshoe crabs, shells, a decorator crab, hermit crabs, and other interesting animals. A decorator crab is called that because they decorate themselves with seaweed for camoflage.
The best part about this trip so far is the places we go.
My favourite spot on the boat is the back deck. I like to get comfortable with my head resting on the mizzen boom and read a book.
We are out of the Dismal Swamp now, it was no even scary at all. We liked to joke around and call it "The Dismal Swamp, duh, duh, duh". When we were at the Visitor's Center, we also saw a huge ant, about 2 inches long!
I do not know about you guys, but I am having a great year!
From: Jessica
October 11
Hey friends,
How are things doing back at home?
Right now we are anchored in Slade Creek. This week we have seen deer, dolphins and turtles too.
On the 4th of October we went to Nauticus, the Museum of the Sea. It was pretty cool. You could explore the Wisconsin 64 (the battleship) and in the cafeteria, there were muffin tins that you could bake 30 muffins at once! And in World War 2 the Wisconsin had a collision with another boat and it took the whole bow off her! When we went inside the museum there was a submersible that you could control and pick up things like sponges, coral or coins. You could pet carpet sharks and you could even build your own sea-bot. To build a seabot, you could use PVC pipe and 3 propellers, then you would plunk them in the pool and try to get rings and balls from the bottom of the pool.
The next day we went to the Living Museum, and in the touch tank we saw a spider crab, wells, sea stars, hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs. Then at 2:30 (feeding time) we saw a horseshoe crab and it had a mouth where our stomachs are and it didn't have any jaws or teeth and it wiggled it's legs to swallow it's food, and that would be like us trying to wiggle our legs to swallow. Pretty funny, huh?
I hope it doesn't get too cold during the winter.
From, Madeline
P.S. me and Jessica made up another alligator soup tune, it goes like this:
"Alligator fruit, alligator fruit, if I don't get some, I think I'm g'na toot!"
After spending a week traveling through America only a little above walking speed, we have found that the USA has lost, or is in the process of losing some things.
Someone has stolen their public pay phones. I suppose no one noticed as everyone has a cell phone but they have all been taken. We spotted two remaining at South Mills, NC, obviously overlooked by the thieves.
Sidewalks are disappearing here too. In many places they are absent, others they are hidden under encroaching grasses and over grown tree branches. The masses driving by in their automobiles seem to have missed this.
For some reason, the downtowns of every American town we have visited is also missing. Well, the buildings are still there but the businesses are gone. Boarded up and vacated. People seem to be missing from the old downtowns too.
I guess America has gained a lot though. Weight, chronic cell phone addictions, and big box stores.
I guess that's a fair trade.
We have spent the last two days meandering our way through the Dismal Swamp. From Virginia to North Carolina there are two routes the Intracoastal Waterway takes, the Virginia Cut and the Dismal Swamp. It was strongly recommended that we avoid the Dismal Swamp at all costs due to the damage and suffering it would cause.
Of course we ignored that!
What a beautiful trip we had! While rather shallow, we only hit bottom once or twice. Once that did rattle the mast and rigging!
Today we wandered out the Pasquotank River and ended up at Elizabeth City for a laundry and grocery stop.
Tomorrow it is off across Albemarle Sound bound for the Alligator River and deeper into North Carolina.
Here are some pictures of our transit of the Dismal Swamp (say it like Vincent Price would).
