Are we ever glad to be tied up tonight to a tiny pier in Elizabeth City at the entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp. We should celebrate this milestone, but we're too tired after 10 hours under way. Only two day cruises during Many Moons' eight-month journey were longer than this one, and not by … Continue reading 85 Miles. Whew.
We're recovering from a rough ride today, gratefully anchored in calm waters (though a cold wind is whipping) in Upper Dowry Creek of North Carolina, about 50 miles from the Albermarle Sound crossing. Today was good training for that crossing, which is known to get rough. But then, we started this journey in Lake Superior. … Continue reading A Dramamine Day
It's a tale of two Beaufort's. Ten days ago, we were in Beaufort ("BEW-fert"), South Carolina. Tonight, we are in Beaufort ("BOW-fert") North Carolina. Once you get the pronunciation right, it's easier to keep them straight. This one, in North Carolina, also calls itself "Beaufort-by-the-Sea." It is, in fact, closer to the sea than the … Continue reading The Other Beaufort
Sitting at a gusty but private anchorage tonight near the town of Swansboro, N.C., it all seems so improbable. On July 30 last year, the Mainship Many Moons left Keweenaw Bay in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to start The Great Loop, not knowing how far we would get. Along the way, we've learned that we are … Continue reading 4,000 Miles and Still Going…
Cape Fear. A dramatic name to welcome us to our 12th state! We arrived yesterday at this headland jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. And our arrival was a bit scary, entering a small marina with a narrow entrance and nearby rocks on a falling tide. We intended to stay in the charming town of … Continue reading Into North Carolina
It started out so calmly. Cypress trees. Osprey. Mirror-calm water. Alone for miles. Soon, a few swing bridges that needed to be opened for us. A whole lot of fancy waterfront houses. A fast boat sending us a big wake. A "go/stay" decision. And then...wait for it...a mechanical malfunction. I just had to say, just … Continue reading Eventful Cruise to Calabash Creek
So glad to set anchor tonight at Butler Island in the Waccamaw River, Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Mile Marker 396 (ICW MM396), after 71.5 miles and 9.5 hours. We pushed against the current nearly all day but it was otherwise a comfortable if long cruise. I had time for mending and vacuuming (domestic maintenance does continue … Continue reading Waccamaw River (S.C.)
We've just left a Saturday night outing to Charleston's city market. As we unlocked our bicycles at a busy intersection, a pungeant horse-drawn carriage entered from one side while Harley motorcycles revved up from the other. Ah, the tapestry of America! So diverse! This is where the Civil War began. The first shot was fired … Continue reading Horses & Harley’s: Charleston, S.C.
So much history. Such a walkable waterfront. And such fun socializing! Two nights wasn't quite enough, but we continue moving northward through the Lowcountry in order to meet my April commitment in Washington D.C. I write this while sitting at a marshy anchorage in Church Creek, less than 20 miles from Charleston (where more history … Continue reading Beaufort, S. C.
Many Moons entered her 11th state today on her long boat trip. We're making way now "up" the Lowcountry, the coastal region of Georgia and South Carolina which is below sea level in many places. Many African Americans still inhabit the coastal islands where their ancestors were once enslaved. (Perhaps an historical aspect of "low?") … Continue reading Into South Carolina
For Many Moons 