We made the mistake of charging the batteries for an hour without opening the through hull which allows water to cool the engine.  We were not on the boat so we are grateful it didn’t do a meltdown.

Then as we were getting ready to leave Charleston Bob checked out and I did some lines, should’ve stuck to what I usually do.  Had no trouble backing out and went past the Mega dock and anchorage slowly.  Just a little further and the engine alarm came on.  I had forgotten to open the engine through hull and it overheated.  Waited about 20 minutes; put the genoa out, although there was only 1kt of wind.  Finally started the engine and with the water flowing through, it cooled down to 160 where it’s suppose to be.  Thought I’d have to replace the impeller.

Flying Cloud from Seattle passed us.  We continued on, slowed to let a Coast Guard Cutter go out and a tow with a long line pulling a barge.  They went outside as well.  We had the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge to Sullivan Island to open.  Did have to wait a few minutes.  With high tide we were able to make our anchorage in Whiteside Creek.  We circled to find the best place to anchor, a snap.  We have light wind to move the bugs along.  A large pod of dolphins came in and milled around feeding.  Heard a large splash but didn’t see the culprit and it wasn’t a pelican!  There was a beautiful sunset. Bob was taking snaps as it was setting; the first snap of the the sun was still pinkish-red, but the following shots showed a white sun.  Had a nice breeze to put us to sleep.

Raised anchor at 0616 and were on our way.  We had high tides to get us through a lot of low areas.  Not as much traffic.  Did pass a few boats that were anchored and two came on to Georgetown. Lots of dolphin pods along the way today.  We lost the wind data sometime yesterday before anchoring so we were without today.  Bob checked the connection so it is working again. Took showers after we got the boat cleaned up.  It was good to get two days of suntan lotion and the bedtime bug spray washed off.  The exhaust is splattering in the engine compartment.

First day  of summer and the days have been very comfortable. We rode the high tide all the way to the Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach averaging 6 3/4mph on the ICW miles.  This morning started with a fog bank on the east shore.  The water was as smooth as glass and brown like coffee from the tannin provided by the native vegetation. I wonder if we went swimming, would we get tanned? The cypress knees were showing, some had new growth around their ankles.  Lots of osprey and fuzzy chicks out on the navigational marks; with mothers fussing at us as we get too close. All sizes of fish were jumping out of the water, even Bob saw some good size ones.  A few fishing boats were out and then when we got to Myrtle Beach there were a lot of jet skis back and forth between fuel docks!

Went past Osprey Marina at noon but their eating establishment was closed, otherwise it would have been a timely spot for lunch. As it turned out, with the speed of the day we arrived 2 1/2 hours ahead of schedule. There weren’t any waves for us to buck and the current stayed with us all day.  Bob has a system for figuring when we’ll arrive, usually he’s on the money, except for today.  We pulled into the marina and headed into the current with wind abeam into the dock. Bob handed off the bow line to keep it from blowing the bow off - worked okay.  We were welcomed to our space on the face dock by a mama duck and her baby.  There were more babies but they think this is the only one left.  They were working real hard in the current. We went up to their on-site restaurant, it wasn’t open last fall, and had oyster baskets and listened to a young family of four play calypso music. The wind had picked up considerably after we got in.  The exhaust still is spitting from somewhere.  Bob is continuing to try and fix the problem. Had to clean out the bilge again.

We were up and underway by 0653; had to request a bridge opening at once and then we had the rock pile to go through.  I set the track since it was mid low tide, had depths from 11-16 so it wasn’t too bad.  Had more traffic up around Shallotte and Folly (suicide) Inlets. Guess boats were getting a head start on the weekend. Tried to fly the genoa but it wouldn’t hold.  The wind picked up when we were docking for fuel.  Had a beam wind into the dock and a strong current.  We stopped at Southport Marina, a little further up from where we stayed before.  This marina is within walking distance of downtown.  We took off to explore Southport historic district, stop at Napa marine for fuel filters and look for a convenience store. What we thought was the convenience store looked closed. Stopped in a pet store to get a kitty fix.  They had two very little ones who had sharp claws and loud voices.  Bob had spotted Fresh Produce across the street so we stopped on the way back, it turned out to be a clothing store. Walked back toward the water and the shops were close together; stopped for a drink at Spikes, then along Bay St. to look for the restaurant, Fishy Fishy Cafe where we wanted to come back to for supper. Got back to the boat to try to find the exhaust leak, used soapy water to clean up and then used it to try to see what was leaking.  Think he has found it.  It is a crack in the stainless steel exhaust heat riser, rather than the connecting rubber hose we had already replaced in Palm Beach.  We cleaned up and went to supper. We’ll be staying another day to see if he can fix the leak.

Apparently the stainless steel heat riser cracked.  Bob checked with the marina office for some help, the yard was shut down for today.  He called one Captain and he recommended a welder.  The welder, Charlie, was going to be around all day (a Saturday) so when Bob could get it to him, he’d look at it. Bob called a taxi and they were all in Wilmington and he had to wait until one came.  The tube was a mess and had a very large crack but Charlie worked on it and was able to fix it but it won’t be fixable the next time. So $15 for the taxi, Charlie’s minimum was $45, Bob gave him $60 and Charlie gave him lemonade, cookies, and a ride back to the boat. Bob thought Charlie managed to fix the crack when when most welders would have given up.  He would weld some then hammer to locate additional weak spots then weld these.  Went through this cycle several times.  Total time including rides was 2 1/2 hrs.  Bob had checked with the marina to see if we would be able to stay, we could until July 4th then we’d have to move somehow. They were booked. Fortunately, we won’t have to stay that long.  The other option, if Charlie couldn’t fix it, was to send the heat riser away, have a new one made to specs and then returned to us.  Went down to the Cape Fear Restaurant for supper.  While we were there we started to notice several flocks of wood storks going overhead to the wildlife reserve on Battery Island.  We’re not sure how many, hundreds, a thousand, a gajillion! They weren’t altogether at the same time; one flock would come and then another a few minutes later; never close enough that they could close the ranks. Quite a site.  So, altho the pipe is fixed we need another part that has to be ordered from Catalina Direct and that can’t be done until Monday on Pacific Time.  If they can send it overnight and we get it Tuesday, we might be able to leave on Wednesday, we’ll see.

Apparently it rained in the night. Walked to the Local Family Diner for breakfast, ordered the senior breakfast for less than $4. I stopped to get my hair cut on the way back.  Bob had to wait until 1130 before he could call for the part.  I filled the water tanks and Bob cleaned up the spilled antifreeze.

Tuesday, Bob was busy tracking the boat part, it finally showed up about 1530 and we got right to work. Bob wrapped the pipe and I put aluminum foil, tripled, on the dust shelf under the drawer. He had made it special to fit over the heat riser so there were lots of screws with different purposes.  Mostly I held the flashlight while he put everything back in place.  We started it up and it was good, 2 1/2 hours later. It was an overcast cool day considering it was 106 degrees in Austin and 80 here.

The wind was quite gusty in the night and it had calmed somewhat by the time we awoke. Nice and sunny.  We are waiting for slack tide so we can get up Cape Fear River and through Snow’s Cut.  The wind was a little gusty coming out of the north.  We were able to get out of our slip without any difficulty.  Did encounter a sailboat blown sideways into some boats.  One guy yelled at us claiming “we’re professional captains, would you like our card?” Now I don’t feel so bad about our Charleston debacle last fall.  We had slack tide and wind up to 20 kts going up Cape Fear River. Tracked Snow’s Cut but it wasn’t too shallow.  Lots of fishing boats out.  Wind up to 26 kts. We came in the back way to Wrightsville, much deeper channel.  Anchored right up near the bridge where Mott and Bank Channels meet.  Lots of activity in the area; optimists were racing nearby, lasers were further out and coming in, a couple of sunfish, and a small catamaran sailing crosswise of the channel, jet skis, and water skiing boats with children riding couches and Stand Up Paddle boards. Saw at least four different law enforcement boats out today; suppose they are gearing up for the holiday weekend, it may be busy each weekend bookending the 4th.

We were up at 0515 to catch the 0530 USCG’s Camp Lejeune’s military exercise report for the day and didn’t hear anything. Anchor up before 0600, that’s a first.  Was able to request an opening at the bridge before they went hourly. The next bridge was on the half hours only and for some reason we got there too soon and had to ferry glide for 20 minutes, hate that.  The USCG’s report came at 0630 but there was a problem with the FL USCG overlapping. Anyway, two bridges down, two to go. We had to wait 40 minutes at Surf City Bridge and 25 minutes at Onslow, way too much waiting time. We need a faster boat. Most of the ICW through Camp Lejeune is a safety zone with flashing lights at both ends if they want you to stay out. We were safe another day although we could see the smoke and hear the booms from nearby activity. Plus, offshore, the USCG was having their own shooting practice.  We put up the genoa and made up some time.  Had six jet skis come at us, passed us and then stopped, the leader had spotted the dolphins we had just passed.  We stopped at a marina in Swansboro and got fuel and docked for the night.  This was a fixed dock with the pilings outside the dock itself.  The wind at 24 kt was really blowing us in.  Did a U-tern to land into the wind but still tricky.  Got pulled to the end of the dock after we fueled, but not before taking the rub rail out.  There aren’t any cushions on this  dock and our fenders fitting in between the pilings was not good. Bob had to rig up the guard or fender board.  Walked up to Piggly Wiggly to get much needed fruit, vegetables and juice. We’re tired, it’s been a very long day.

The wind abated in the night but it began to pick up speed. We’re on a face dock, the wind is coming at us 15-20 kts.  We just have to go straight out into the channel.  Bob unties the lines and we creep forward remembering there is no cushioning on the pilings and I didn’t want to snag poor Ridley.  We get to the very last piling and the wind catches the bow and the stern starts to leave the dock. I remember this drill, we’re warping off the dock without being held.  I automatically put it into reverse and we back away, circle around and are underway, piece of cake.  Bob had yelled something as we began to surround the piling. I asked later if we were missing any bits off the bow and he said we were good.  Maybe he was  praying!

We headed to Beaufort from Swansboro; went under the bridge and put up the genoa.  We motor sailed the Bogue Sound last year at record breaking speeds.  This time we were without the engine.  Bob had gone into the cabin and discovered water on the floor.  Checked the bilge and it was black, so we shut the engine off and he searched while I sailed.  We had planned to sail without the motor anyway and this forced us, not a good thing.  But fortunately the wind was a good strength (14-17 kt) and direction for sailing in a narrow channel with some changes in direction. We had another bridge coming up and we turned the engine on so we’d have some control going through, good thing as it was a little squirrelly.   Bob found the leak under the exhaust box. Turned off the engine and called the marina to see if it would be possible to say longer than our two night reservation, no problem. We had one problem solved. The other was were we going to make it to the marina without calling Boat US. We sailed as close to the marina as we could, then rolled up the sail; called the marina for our slip and had to fight the current, pass a large fishing yacht with husband/wife watching and hoping we wouldn’t hit them.  Did have to back up as I was turning and I was afraid the wind and current would push us into the yacht.  We glided past and into the slip where two seasoned sailors helped tie us up.

There were two sails out today, one we met going south and the other was behind us. Invictus was single handling his boat, had his on auto pilot and would disappear until he was off course then he’d come back up.  He was zig-zagging a lot.  The last time we heard about a boat being on unmaned autopilot; it was a motor yacht and they ran up and into the cockpit of a sailboat somewhere on the Chesapeake.  The folks on the MV were having lunch somewhere other than the cockpit!

The boat needed a a good wash down which she got. One of the marine guys said Bob could take one of the three courtesy  cars and go the a marine store to get some repair items for the exhaust leak.  If it works, we’ll continue on to New Bern as planned.  If not, we might be ordering anew system of sorts. We’ll see.  The good news was the weld held on the heat riser.  We just chew one stick of bubble gum at a time. Bob is looking up what parts he might need to order.  The marine man suggested getting the parts to have on hand.  It’s a wonderful gift of knowledge that Bob is able to do this work himself instead of paying someone else.  It is frustrating for him that it takes time to be fixed instead of moving along the ICW.

The days are starting to warm up some.  As long as we are near the ocean the sea breeze is cool and refreshing, but once we head inland a bit I’m afraid it’ll be Texas warm. So to keep from overheating the engine AGAIN, we’ve done a couple things, one was to write at the instrument panel “through hull?” ; the other is when I open the through hull, I leave the cover and cushion off.  Bob’s going to double check anyway so it’s easy for him to check and then put the cover and cushion back in place.  Another idea was to have a hook and hang the key in the engine compartment itself, but we haven’t come to that, the cushion solution seems to be working.

Instead of cereal, we walked down to the Brunswick Cafe for eggs. Enjoyed out leisure breakfast as we watched ferry boats, tour boats, and the fisher boats leave.  It is already hot at 80 this morning.  Spotted a couple of wild horses over on Carrot Island which is on the other side of the anchorage.  Beaufort is at the beginning of the Outer Banks.  We came in past the SW end of Shackleford Banks.  Spent the rest of the morning taking the heat riser off the exhaust box and then had to pry and cut away the exhaust hose from the exhaust box.  It has been maturing for 17 years and more so this last two years.  Then we had to figure the rest of the puzzle to get the exhaust box out of the locker.  Once we got that out we quit and walked over to Queen Anne’s Revenge for a lunch in cool surroundings.

Bob had a list of things to buy for the repair so made another trip to the ACE marine hardware.  Bob wanted the dremel to grind off some of the old seal but we couldn’t find it.  Looked everywhere; front port two cuddies, three starboard; went through everything in the aft storage and then he found it in the food cuddy.  I had given up some space to put the Ryobi drill/light and the dremel in there so it would be easily accessible!  We’re still trying to find the Big Light charger and a couple of his hats!

Bob was able to epoxy fiberglass onto the edge that had a leak.  Will let it set overnight.  He also wants to repair one of the openings on the top where it’s collapsing. Had to call New Bern to let them know we might not get there until the 3rd.  Have to call Monday to make sure one of the staff knows what’s going on. We can stay here at Beaufort Docks for another day or two.

Hot and hazy today.  There’ll be a lot of sunburned people today.  Bob put epoxy on the collapsed tubing, hope it’s not too much that we can’t get the heat riser to twist on.  He worked on the computer and I went shopping, not much luck, not even fudge. I was good. Got back and Bob was working at the rub rail, hoping it would go easily back in place without taking it all the way to the back. It didn’t.  The exhaust box was ready to go back in place, just had to remember how we got it out of the locker.  There was enough exhaust hose after he cut it away that it would twist on with a hot water treatment and some applied vaseline.  The heat riser went on with vaseline as well but easier.  So all the screws and hose clamps are on, took most of the afternoon.  He was going to check the wires but a severe thunderstorm came in about 1730. We had missed the storm that went through VA. There were several cells coming at us, the wind was a bit rough but we were snug in our slip and no one squeezed in onto us.  That was a good thing.

No wind, no rain, just a nice sunny morning at 75 degrees. Sailors and other water people were out accessing the storm damage.  Several large wood beams came from somewhere, one of the floats came out from under a dock, and there was a 150’ motor yacht that had gotten caught 26 miles off shore that had come limping in and was drying out their carpet on the top deck.  Bob finished up working and checking everything when he discovered water by the exhaust box and we hadn’t even started the engine.  It was the galley sink drain fitting which was cracking in two.  I had washed dishes last evening and this morning and that had drained down into the engine compartment.   So, after pulling the cracked gasket, we get around to testing the engine and all is good.  Bob is exhausted and ready for a rest.

We’ll leave the sink for another day and head to New Bern in the morning to be there for July 4th.