Dec. 2023 Boat relocation to Brunswick Landing

 Nov. 24 - Nov. 30, 2023.  Finally on the move...

We really enjoyed the people, facilities, pool, dockmaster, etc. at Lightkeepers Marina in Little River.  R-dock was rocking and definitely the place to be over the summer with its combination of full time liveaboards and active weekend boaters. It was tough to say goodbye, but ultimately it was simply time to get out of SC and into a marina closer to home. Great sendoff on our final night viewing the Little River Christmas boat parade. 

Lightkeepers Lighthouse decorated for Christmas.

Some of the boats went all out decorating.

Martha's knee replacement surgery had gone great but she was still unsure about spending 5 full days aboard and so I recruited help for the trip to Brunswick Landing Marina.  We had reservations starting in Dec. so confirmed with my crew a departure right after Thanksgiving.  Travel conditions looked great with cooler temperatures, light winds, a full moon and favorable tide times. Plotted out our trip using Navionics, Aqua Maps and Waterway Guide as references.  Decided to anchor our first 2 nights at known locations we've used before and then try two new places on the final nights.  Engine checks done, full fuel, full water, full fridge, full cooler of beverages - seemed like we were ready. 

I had recruited my brother Bill for the trip.  He was back south after spending the summer up in Maine.  He's an accomplished boater - worked on a tug, worked as a marine mechanic, has a captain's license, did 6 pack fishing charters, and even did yacht deliveries.  He wound up being invaluable as we soon learned my bad eye severely limited my time being able to stay at the helm.  So, Capt. Bill did most of the driving while One-Eyed John was relegated to passenger, chief cook and dishwasher. Our 3rd crew mate was One-Eyed Bob.  Literally, he only has one good eye after a childhood accident.  Met him the day we arrived at Lightkeepers as he helped grab a line while we docked.   Bob is newer to boating -  recently bought his first bigger boat - a sailboat (ugh!!) - and is a liveaboard.  His charismatic nature earned him title "Mayor of R dock". He wanted to gain some experience and education traveling the ICW since most of his boating has been in and out of Little River Inlet and then day sailing offshore.  Never hurts to have an extra hand and the third stateroom meant no overcrowding. Felt great paying it forward as we taught him the intricacies of navigation, tides and currents, weather, shoaled in trouble spots, anchoring techniques, and the apps we use. 

One-Eyed Bob checking out the view from the flybridge.

Captain Bill enjoying the comfort of the pilothouse helm.

Sun. Nov. 26.  Lightkeepers Marina to Minim Creek Anchorage    -  7.75 hours and 70 miles

Sunrise departure from LKM.  Cool overcast day, but easy traveling.  Little River swing bridge opens on demand, no traffic this early going through the ditch behind Myrtle Beach.  High tide going through the rockpile. Another quick opening at the Socastee swing bridge.  Wave for the camera as we pass by "Show us your boat".  Then ride a nice outgoing tidal current all the way down the wild Waccamaw River. Open waters of Winyah Bay are calm as we pass by Georgetown.  Make the sharp 90 degree turn into Minim canal and follow it to our anchorage for the night at Minim Creek East.  Anchor down. Sharing the creek with a lone sailboat anchored off our stern. Calm winds so just the easy tug on the anchor line as the tide turns.  Nice pasta, salad and bread dinner before an early night to bed.

Lines are off as we leave Lightkeepers Marina at sunrise

Mon Nov. 27.   Minim Creek to Toogoodoo Creek - 8.75 hours and 82 miles

Rain overnight but gone in the AM.  Cool and cloudy start as we raise anchor at 7AM on the end of a rising tide for our longest day of travel. Need to get through shallow waters of McClellanville and Isle of Palms while water is up. We got surprised at one point when the 77' Jarrett Bay sportfish "Reel Quick" was suddenly aside us.  Not showing on AIS and no radio call.  Drawback of running from the pilothouse is reduced visibility astern. Crossing Charleston Harbor we give the engines an overdue blowout and test for a clean bottom with full rpm and speed achieved.  Timing through Elliotts Cut is bad as we fight a 3 kt current.  Thankfully, it's just a short distance before we're into familiar territory as we round Johns Island (our hailing port) and Wadmalaw Island before turning into Toogoodoo Creek.  The sun has come out but is brutally low in the sky and straight into Capt. Bill's eyes. No way I could tolerate that sun in my eye making me even more thankful Bill agreed to come.  We've used this anchorage multiple times.  Still one of our favorites with good width, good wind protection, and decent depths.  After a long day we opt for an easy meal - devouring the HoneyBaked ham and big slices of pumpkin pie provided by One-Eyed Bob.

Captain Bill tests the fishing at Toogoodoo Creek

Just another sunset at Toogoodoo Creek

Tues. Nov. 28.  Toogoodoo Creek to Ramshorn Creek (behind Daufuskie Island) -- 8 hours and 75 miles

A cool cloudy morning to start.  Glad we are all inside.  Still working tides to our advantage as we get through Watts Cut, Fenwick Cut and Ashepoo Cut with high water.  Sun finally breaks through as we pass the long no wake zone at Beaufort. All quite as we pass the Marine base at Parris Island.  Total lack of tourists makes passage around Hilton Head a pleasure.  No fighting with sailboats, rental center consoles, buzzing jet skis, or parasailers like in the summer.  We head into a new to me anchorage for the night. Ramshorn Creek/Cooper River.  Easy in and out, nice wide swing room, good depth but would be a bit exposed to winds. With the light winds forecast it's an ideal location for the night.  Dinner -  creamy chicken and mushroom marsala with salad, wine and bread.   Followed by another slice of pumpkin pie for dessert.

The flurries never materialized but it was a cold start to the day.

Sunset and lights of Savannah from Ramshorn Creek Anchorage

Wed. Nov. 29.  Ramshorn Creek to Crescent River (behind Sapelo Island) - - 8.25 hours and 75 miles

A Local Notice to Mariners had advised that the demolition of the old Island Causeway bridge just past the Savannah River had restricted passage times. The first one for us was between 10 and 10:30 AM which meant we got to sleep in a bit with anchor up at 8:15. A smaller container ship passed upbound on the Savannah River before we crossed over. Always amazed at the speeds these ships move up the river. Arrived at the bridge early at 9:45 to learn demolition was ahead of schedule and passage was unrestricted.   With a little extra time on our hands, we pull into Isle of Hope marina for a pumpout.  Would love to get a slip here since it would be extremely convenient to the condo but it's a smaller marina, very popular and with a wait list for slips. Beautiful day, sunny and warming up.  The American River Cruise ship "American Destiny" left Savannah as we passed and is slowly catching us.  We both make it through the recently dredged Hells Gate without issue.  If we made a turn to starboard and went 16 miles up the Ogeechee River it would put us at our condo.  Instead, we continue on the ICW where "American Destiny" passes us, then slows to idle.    We radio their intentions and learn they can't get through Mud River until high tide later that night. So, around them we go.   We'll pass that area in the morning with good water. Pull into Crescent River for the night. Another new anchorage for us.  Directly off the ICW so easy in/out.  Plenty of swing room, good depth, a few tree lines for wind protection. Sets us up for a quick half day run to Brunswick.  Dinner is a Teriyaki pork stir fry followed by our final pieces of pumpkin pie!  I wasn't able to do much boat driving with my bad eye but hopefully made up for it with decent dinners for the captain and crew.

Container ship heading up the Savannah River

"American Destiny" waiting for high tide.

View at Crescent River anchorage

Thurs.  Nov. 30.  Crescent River to Brunswick Landing Marina - - 4.5 hours and 44 miles

Final day of our trip.  Glorious start with sunshine and temperatures rising into the 60's.  This is what winter cruising should be like every day!  No boat traffic and ideal weather conditions.  There are many boaters who find the GA and SC sections of the ICW to be boring. I'm the opposite. I've always found the solitude in these natural winding areas along with the playful dolphins to be inspiring.  Some of the prettiest anchorages we've found and always a new one to explore around the corner. Sure, bugs are a problem during warm weather - but that's inevitable if you cruise in the south.  We make it to Brunswick Landing where Martha is waiting dockside for our arrival.  One final classic maneuver by Capt. Bill as he casually pirouettes the boat for a stern-in dockage at slip 12H and we are soon safely secured. 

Overall, a fantastic trip.  Captain Bill did an amazing job piloting us for hours on end each day. I enjoyed being able to relax as a passenger a bit more than usual.  And Bob's confidence level in being able to navigate his way south had him ready to head back and cast off his own lines.   

  

Capt. Bill readies for a stern-in dockage

Bill and John after arriving in Brunswick.

Nov. 2023 Full stop for health repairs.

Nov. 2023  A knee,  an eye,  and a postponed trip

Spring, summer and fall cruising were all a bust.  Original plans to do the Downeast loop were reduced to doing an Erie Canal transit, which was reduced to doing a Chesapeake Bay trip, which was reduced to doing a NC trip which was finally reduced to doing no travel.  On a positive note - our relocation to Richmond Hill, GA is complete.  We ultimately decided to purchase the condo we were renting here. Super happy with that decision and calling Richmond Hill our dirt home.  The primary reason for lack of cruising has been taking care of medical issues.  Setting up new doctors has proven time consuming and elective surgery is still backlogged from Covid.  While we appreciate the access to better medical facilities compared to our more remote location in NE GA, we miss the personalized and timely service our local doctor up there provided.  

New home - we're bottom right side of this 4 unit building.
30 buildings in the neighborhood.

After determining this year was shot, we next were trying for a winter cruise to Key West and the Bahamas.  Even had a slip secured there for the month of Feb.  Another cruise that now appears unlikely to happen.

Medical issues were not serious - just normal age-related aggravating items.   Martha's left knee has given her problems for several years.   She was hoping to make it until she got on Medicare before having work done but the bone-on-bone pain became too much.  She had full knee replacement surgery in Oct. which we thought was a positive and could actually work better timewise for our Key West plans.  Recovery has been remarkable.  Still doing physical therapy with positive comments and the incision has healed over beautifully. So, we're expecting a full recovery and return to complete crew duties soon.

Stapled up knee a week after surgery - after 2 months barely a scar

 

X-ray of Martha's new knee. An impressive piece of stainless steel

John's issue has been eye related.  About 15 years ago I had ICL surgery.  It was a new procedure at the time and essentially involves putting a permanent contact lens in your eye. Worked great all these years but as I've aged cataracts have formed in both eyes.  They got bad enough in my left eye I needed surgery.  Had it done in Sept. thinking it would give time to recover before Martha's knee surgery. Unfortunately, a normal 10-minute cataract procedure turned into 40 minutes of surgery as the ICL lens had adhered to my eye. Removal was difficult and time consuming before the actual cataract surgery.   Long story short, my vision is currently compromised in that eye - basically can make out fuzzy shapes and colors with sensitivity to light.  It will require additional surgery with a specialist that is scheduled for Jan. putting an end to any winter travels.  

2 weeks after surgery the Ophthalmologist's comment - "That eye is very angry."
2 months later while specialist surgeon is examining - "Oh My!"

We therefore decided it would be a smart move to relocate the boat closer to home.  A slip is confirmed at Brunswick Landing Marina in Brunswick, Ga.  for Dec. thru March. It's an easy 1 hour drive south on I-95 instead of the 4 hour drive up to Little River, SC and Lightkeepers Marina.  Just need to get the boat moved somehow.