What a year this was!! We followed our Loop path by truck, we got to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, we got to Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam, we had boaters that were doing the Down East Loop visit this summer, we had friends that we met on the Loop in 08 – 09 come for a visit.

Our book is now available on the ipad!! So cool and waaayyyy cheaper, still get it from Blurb (link on side of page).

Mary Beth hosted a radio program with AGLCA about doing the Loop from a womans point of view, and we got a new truck. WOW, we had an incredible year.

On a sadder note, we lost Mary Beth’s father but will have wonderful memories.

Mary Beth has learned to cook on the truck, and does a grand job of it, check the photo.

Hennepin, the Statue, the bridge, Benton Harbor and the rest brought back some memories, remember the blog (it still there on the sidebar)

Charlie and Bonnie Burke did the downeast Loop this year, and stopped in for a visit and some fresh Lobster. It so happened we were having a family reunion at the time, so a lot of fun was had by all!! Ever seen a clam’s tongue, wow, was it ever big. We learned how to draw it out.

Took a truck trip to Vegas, visited the casino (no one told me no pictures!!), tried my luck at craps, visited the Hoover Dam, went for a helicopter ride, drove through Colorado and some incredible mountains. Picked up a reload in Los Angeles. Was amazed by the brochures of “White Water Rafting on the Colorado”, turns out it was little more than a creek where we saw them doing this, but I’m sure it was fun enough!!

Linda Redman (remember Ron and Linda from St. Augusting and Skull Creek? If not, you need to read the Loop postings again came for a visit. We stayed with her and visited when we went to South Carolina, and she came to visit us on PEI this summer. MBA and Linda did the tourist thing here, and had a lot of fun, then mussels and lobster for dinner, and of course, Anne of Green Gables and a show at the College of Piping.

Colin and Pat (Lady Margaret) came for a visit, and we had a great time!! Learned about the French Naval Ensign, it’s a white flag. Can you imagine running around in a warship with a pure white flag flying in times of trouble?? Go figure.

We stop in and see Colin and Pat when we go through Hamilton, so it was a real treat to see them here. They are finished cruising, and have sold ‘Lady Margaret’ to someone on the East Coast, perhaps we’ll hail her one day while sailing.

We arrived in Dallas Texas for a trip this year, we saw a beautiful rainbow (reminded us of our “Pot ‘O’ Gold”, and we got a new truck, so we are committed to running the roads for a few more years.

When we met with the owner of the company we drive for last July to discuss our new truck, I overheard him coming up the stairs explaining to someone he had come over to meet with “Mary Beth and whatshisface”.

That’s why there is the picture of MBA and Ted Fleming (the owner) with the new truck. I’m sure if it was just me I would still be in a fleet truck!

One sidenote, while MBA was home playing ‘grandma’, I stopped to visit my nieces and family in Chatham and somehow got coerced into a tree climbing contest with my 15 year old niece. I WON!! See how I got to the top?? Of course, I cracked two ribs and bloodied my legs coming down. No alcohol involved that day!!!

The last picture is our first blizzard of 2011, winter is starting, which brings us closer to next summer.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2012, stay safe, think of us when you see a big truck, and for goodness sakes, LEARN HOW TO MERGE if you don’t already know.

Love Joe & Mary Beth Amelia
S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

At 12:15 on June 17, 2009, N46 07.86’ W063 06.43’ the S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold” crossed her own wake in Hillsborough Bay, at Charlottetown, PEI, and both Mary Beth and Joe Amelia were still aboard.

After plugging into a heater at Port Hawksbury for a couple days, it was a gentle sail back to PEI, Georges Bay and the Northumberland Strait were unusually quiet, with a 10 knot S wind, making for a fabulous sail, and ending to our trip.  We anchored for the night at Woods Island, beside the Holiday Island Ferry, then another sail to Charlottetown, where we are tied up at a dock to unload the boat, I will then sail one more trip to Souris where the sturdy old “Pot ‘o’ Gold” will go on the hard and over the next few years will make her ready for another voyage to ?????????????????

This trip has taught us a lot about people, a lot about our family, and a lot about ourselves.

Jim Angel (“Blue Angel”) says it best, “Life’s journey is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting “holy cow……..what a ride!”

We completed approximately 130 locks, including this last, last one in Nova Scotia.  We went under something like 600 bridges.  We did 7 overnight sails including one double overnighter, all in the open Ocean.

We anchored on the Mississippi River in a 5 knot current.

We travelled 6,354.3 Nautical Miles (that’s 7312.3 Statute Miles for you landlubbers) in 1479 hours.

We spend 87 nights on mooring balls, 38 nights at free docks, 92 nights at anchor, 15 nights  tied up at locks, 113 nights in marinas, 28 nights in Drummond Island in our tree house, and 7 nights sailing.

There were too many highlights to list them all, and with each action that we do for the next year or so, a memory will come back of our trip.  When we pick up a magazine and read an article, a memory comes back.  And each conversation we have brings back a story.  Each and every memory and story involves a person we met on the Loop, with all but one being a wondrous event that we will remember always.

To everyone we met on the Loop (and extra to those special folks to us, you know who you are), THANK YOU!!  The trip would not have been the same without you.

To the AGLCA, without whom we would not have been kept updated of all the events and issues on the Loop (and who certified us official “River Rats” due to Ike), THANK YOU.

To the Canadian Power Squadron, where both MB and I completed our Boating Course over a winter, and I completed the Piloting Course, VHF operators certificate, and weather course, then printed two articles in their national magazine, “the Porthole”, which makes me an author, THANK YOU!

To my SPOT watchers, Karen Harding, Mike Amelia, Peg Gallant, and Jim Thompson, which gave us a degree of comfort, especially on overnight sails, knowing we were being watched, THANK YOU!

To all those who followed and read each blog posting, and made the blog fun to write and keep up, THANK YOU!

To Colin and Pat Hay (“Lady Margaret”), you are special folks to us, and we hope to stay in touch forever,  THANK YOU!

To all those who said I was going to die at sea, or be boarded and marooned by Pirates, or sink to a rocky death, I say BALDERDASH!  I’m still alive, and will remain so.

This trip will provide us memories and stories for a lifetime, and we will read our blog with fondness forever.

Still yet to come:  MB’s daily journal.  MB kept a daily journal, much more detailed than my “Captain’s Log”, and she will be typing it out, funny, when I read her journal; the stories don’t always match my own.

For now, the land doesn’t sway right, everywhere I look there are people, neighbors and dogs.  The grass needs cutting, there are way too many rooms in this house, and there is no wind generator to hum me to sleep.

Joe & Mary Beth Amelia
S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

We stayed in Shelburne for a day while it rained; we got showers, filled our tanks, and slept.  After leaving fairly early in the morning, the fog set in.  Thick, murky fog where you can see nothing.  Out comes the radar, and hopefully, the experience we have using it on slightly foggy days will pay off.  It did, the radar worked great and we could see buoys, land,  and boats on the radar, we could see our course on the chartplotter, so we were running blind, but on electronics, very cool.

It was still cold, 40’s and low 50’s we had four layers of clothes on, then after it started to rain (of course), the fifth waterproof layer went on.  At least mine did, that’s when MB declared she was going to stay inside, all warm and toasty.

Due to the fog, we decided it would be just as simple to run all night as try and work our way in to settle for the night, we decided to continue on.  We stuck to our 3 hour shifts as we have prior, and had an uneventful night.  Friday we found a port in Jeddore, NS that the cruising guide said had a government wharf that we could tie up to.  We both wanted to get off the boat, go for a walk even though it was still raining, and thick fog.  We worked our way in, the only wharf we could find was full of shrimp boats that were too huge for us to raft with, so we anchored.  It took a few tries for the anchor to set, seemed like a very rocky bottom, so I put out all 100 feet of chain.

In the morning, the fog lifted hallelujah!!  It was still cold, with a dark sky, but we could see.  When we left early, we saw the rocks we had worked our way around.  They were huge, and some unmarked with buoys or lights.  We had a good track loaded in the plotter.

We have seen a lot of crab pots on this trip, but very few on the Nova Scotia Coast, we have stayed out in deep water where they don’t go.  About two hours out, for the first time ever, I snagged a crab pot.  I realized I did because the boat slowed from 5.5 knots to 3 all of a sudden.  I was able to get the line out of the water and cut it, which released the pot, but the line and buoy was tangled in my prop.  I quickly tried putting in reverse, to release it, but no luck, it was fouled.

Friends of ours (Pat and Colin ‘Lady Margaret’) tangled with a pot in the Gulf of Mexico, and Pat went for a swim and cut the line off the prop, I remember she sent me pictures (of  course, the water in the Gulf was in the seventies).  They have many, many more years experience with these things than I do, so if they had to swim to cut it loose, that would be my only solution, I decided.

I went through my Red Cross books to see safe water temperatures to swim in for any length of time, and couldn’t find anything).  After donning my swimsuit and putting my foot in the water (temp was 49.9 degrees, this is the North Atlantic), I decided I better find out for sure.  I radioed the Canada Coast Guard and put the question to them.  They agreed it was not possible without a wet suit (which I didn’t have, but was going to buy one in the Key’s, but it was a cute little one with no legs or arms, so would have been useless anyway), and offered to send a Coast Guard Cutter with a diver to cut the lines.  Wonderful to be back in Canada!

Another sailor, ‘MS B HAVEN’ heard the conversation and was fairly close to us, and offered me the use of their wet suit.  Too cold for me to go in, but you’re welcome to the use of the suit.  I accepted it, and in I went.  I managed to cut the line, had to cut it in three places, it was really wrapped, but off it was.  I cannot possibly believe how cold that water was.  My hands and face were not covered, and felt like they were frozen solid.  With the wet suit, my body stayed comfortable (not warm), but kept the body warm and safe.  I am not sure how long this would last, but they for sure work.

I notified the CCG that the line was removed, and the Diver would not be necessary.  He was happy for us, we were happy for us, we returned the wet suit, and continued on our way.  Another experience.

Since we never went ashore at Jeddore, I did not have enough fuel to get us to Port Hawksbury, our next intended Port.  Tonight we had good (variable) winds to 25 knots, but from the right direction, so we decided to sail for the night again.  MB would not take her duty roster when the time came, not unless I turned on the motor, so I had a long night, but sail we did.  Later in the morning, the wind died, I was now comfortable with the gas, so I got some rest.

The sun came out (no, it’s not warm, still in the 50’s, but we saw the sun), the fog was gone, and it was a nice sail.  In Chedebucto Bay, on our way to the marina, the fog came back, hard.  Out came the radar again, although it’s not as much help in a canal, it did provide assistance.  I called for other boats in the canal on the VHF, and with no response, I figured there was no one there.  Once we got inland a couple miles, the fog let up, and we could see again.
We passed the Port Hawksbury Paper Mill, I go here in my truck to load when driving, and this is the view from the water! 

We next went to the Port Hawksbury Yacht Club, a favorite stop for cruisers from PEI to the Bras D’Or Lakes or Halifax.  They are under severe construction right now.  No laundry, no fuel, no Wi-Fi, no electricity (the whole reason we came in, for the heater) and no building.  I doubt it will be re-constructed this year.

The folks there attempted to be very helpful, and drove us to fill our jerry cans.  They offered to drive MB to a laundry and grocery store, but when she tried to take them up on it, there was nothing available.  We walked.  They ran long extension cords so we could plug in the heater.  They use a “borrowed” building, a short walk away that has a washroom and a shower, so facilities can be found, so they go out of their way to be helpful, it’s just inconvenient.  Hopefully, they will arrive at a better solution before the rest of the cruiser’s come through.  It would be a shame to lose this stop.

This ends our Nova Scotia Leg of the journey; we are about two sailing days from home with good weather.

Hopefully, weather will warm up soon.  We heard they are calling for warm, sunny weather today, I hope so.  We are going for a walk, see the town, and will leave tomorrow to do our last, last, lock (this must be close to 150, I lost count).

Love to everyone,
Joe & MB  S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

We left Cape Cod (Onset) at 05:00 to travel the Canal with the current, and made good time through   the Canal and across Cape Cod Bay, then headed out into the Ocean.  Lots of fishermen in the Canal, not sure I would eat the fish they caught, but apparently they did.

Before leaving, we double and triple checked our weather for the next 48 hours, we filed our sail plan with the Canadian Coast Guard, and we notified each member of our SPOT team over the phone that we were leaving.  The longest MB and I have ever gone is overnight, and we are always exhausted after an overnight trip; this leg requires two nights, and two and a half days.  We spoke at length with cruisers who have travelled 13 days and nights in a boat our size, and after combining all the stories, the best solution for us would be 3 hour shifts, with radar and plotter left turned on, and the person on duty could go below and rest for a maximum of 10 minutes with an egg timer held in hand.  (Thanks ‘Solution’ for that suggestion).

When MB was on duty, she sat at the helm with eyes wide open, staring at the electronics, compass, and water.  When I was on duty, I would get up every 10 minutes, look around, then crawl back under my blankey and hold my egg timer.

In Cape Cod Bay, there were hundreds of boats whale watching, when a whale stuck his head up, a hundred boats would roar over to that spot, and the whale disappeared.  We saw some, but they didn’t stay up.  One hundred miles off the coast of Provincetown, about six Right Whales came up and gave me a private show, absolutely fascinating.  They are like Dolphins, hard to get a picture of but amazing to watch.  I did manage to get a video of part of the show, check out the sidebar under “videos”.

We’ve all heard the saying “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…………etc”, well, look at this night sky offshore.

A hundred miles offshore, there were also birds.  One large one, looked like some type of eagle, flew by the boat, turned around and came back and flew around the top of the mast, looked like he wanted to land and rest, but when he saw the windicator spinning and the anmeter whirring, decided to turn around and resume course.  There were seagulls, and lots of small birds, MB thought they were ‘Sooty Terns’ but I can’t verify that.  They are a long way from shore.  Remember from the Dry Tortugas, the young Sooty Tern flies 5,000 miles and never touches ground.

We had a full moon with cloud cover both nights, but when it came out, the sight was fabulous.  Wind was light, and although the sails were out, we needed the engine running to get the 5 knots we required.

As we approached the Canadian line, the sky changed from the New England cloud and rain, and was clear, sunny, and still yet colder.

We arrived at Shelburne just as the wind was becoming nasty, we docked, called and cleared customs (had to wait while they drove 2 ½ hours to arrive), they were very courteous, professional, thorough, and unlike US Coast Guard boarding’s, they were friendly.  So friendly that my first mate broke my rule of “offer nothing unless they ask” and when they appeared finished without going over our list of goods, MB said “here is a list of goods we have on board”.  They smiled at her and said they liked her, and then both flashed me a dirty look.  We had a good time, and removed our yellow quarantine flag.

Now we sit in Shelburne and wait for the winds to die, and get the North out of the forecast, and we will probably do an overnighter past Halifax and head straight to the Canso Causeway, then home.

WOW, can you believe all this?  Not sure I do yet.

Love to everyone,

Joe & Mary Beth Amelia
S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

I saw that in a Pirate movie, the saying had to come from New England marinas.

After leaving New York we entered a part of the country that has no relation in dollars to the rest of North America.  We thought it would be nice to stay at a marina in Long Island Sound, so MB phoned for pricing, and it was more expensive to stay in a slip for one night here than for a month in St. Petersburg, FL.  When we said we would anchor and bring our dingy in, they said it would be a $10 charge, when we agreed, they said that was PER HOUR.

We belong to a group called the American Great Loop Cruisers Association, so that makes us Loopers (not Loopy), and I sent an email to the group asking for suggestions.  We were overwhelmed with help. 

We stopped in Port Washington and anchored, then took a dingy into the (free) town dock.  We stocked up on provisions and fuel, had a great Mediterranean lunch, then went to Port Jefferson where the marina said we could take our dingy for $12 per hour, no showers or facilities (go to the bathroom before  coming ashore, says he), MB called the town docks and they wanted more!  She sweet talked them into letting us dock for free, and they even threw in showers!

We met up with Bob, Ginny, and George, from “Time Out” (remember them from Beaufort, SC), they gave us a tour around Port Jefferson, and took us to dinner, what a grand time we had, thanks guys!

When we sent our letter out requesting reasonable spots in New England, a couple from New London responded, they are Loopers, their boat is currently under repair and their dock was unused, so they offered it to us for a day or two, we accepted, met them, they gave us a tour, saw the submarine wall of honor, and had a great time.  Phil and Vicki (‘Mid Life Madness’) were absolutely incredible folks who we were proud to meet.  Vicki made a mean lasagna, we missed her birthday party by a day, I hope they had a great time, thanks so much!

Then Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Buzzard’s Bay, Cape Cod, WOW, the history, the fishermen, the boats, you can feel the excitement in the air.  We are early, so the mooring fields are empty, the touristy stuff hasn’t started yet, and it’s cool in the air.

Again boarded by the Coast Guard, here they are more interested in Customs and Homeland Security than safety, they never did check our safety equipment, just our entrance decals and our passports.  Once again, they were professional,pleasant, and thorough.

We are in Onset, at a mooring field, one that is actually affordable and provides facilities, waiting for our weather window to head out for a 48 hour sail to Nova Scotia, and that won’t be for a couple days, so we’ll be sightseeing, visiting antique shops, restaurants, and meeting folks.

I phoned the trucking company I worked for today, and apparently I still have a job when I get back, so that’s good news (or sad, depending on your point of view)!  MB called and made doctors and dentist appointments today as well, so it looks like we are truly almost home, and our adventure is coming to a close.  However, it’s not over yet, we still have a couple weeks of sailing, adventure, and apparently there are lots of Right Whales in Cape Cod Bay, so there will be more photos yet.

MB no longer blows her conch at night, Michael McLeod and Jimmy Buffet just doesn’t sound the same when the temperature goes into the 50’s at night, hopefully summer will actually get here!

Love to everyone, and a special thanks to Loopers for making Long Island Sound to Cape Cod enjoyable for us!

Joe & Mary Beth Amelia
S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

One of the items on my ‘bucket list’ are (were) to anchor under the Statue of Liberty.  The symbol of freedom and opportunity in the world that brought immigrants here to build the America’s, including my grandfather.  Well, a check mark goes here, we did it.

Entering New York harbor required watching the tide and current tables, so we anchored in sight of the Verrazano Bridge and waiting several hours.  I tried fishing; I think the fish left New York years ago.

When the tide shifted, we motored in, eyes wide with delight at the huge buildings, traffic, ferries and people.  When we got closer, our eyes were wide not with delight, but fear and concentration.  There are so many buildings, traffic, ferries and people.  Every one of them believes they have the right of way, and have absolutely no reason to slow down or change course, so they don’t.

We were caught once in St. Georges Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with 10 foot breaking waves, and that is exactly what the close ferry wake is like when you can’t get out of their way.  Good thing “Pot ‘O’ Gold” is a sturdy old boat.

We arrived at the Statue of Liberty in late afternoon, and moved right in beside her, along with (what seemed like) 200 ferries of tourists, after all, it was Memorial Day.  We took pictures, admired her, thought of the past, and then, to my horror, realized that the flame she is holding is FAKE.  All my life, I thought the flame was real.  Ah well, another letdown and highlight at the same time.

We anchored in a basin behind the Statue; we were the only boat there for the night, strong winds kept us awake.  I tried to get pictures with the Lady all lit up at night, but they didn’t turn out.  The pictures are in my memory, and the photo of the sunset is incredible.

Leaving New York harbor, we had to go  by Manhattan, right past the Empire State Building, then through an area on the East River called ‘Hells Gate’ (true, check the charts).  This area has very fast currents, and must be navigated at the correct time, which for us meant we had to leave the anchorage at 05:30.  Our speed reached 11 knots through this area.  What a ride!

Upon leaving New York City into Long Island Sound, the tide and current changed, and we had 20 knot winds on our nose, so we stopped in a quiet anchorage for the day and night.  We’ll be moving towards Cape Cod this week.

It was such an exciting couple days; I wanted a separate blog entry.  Have fun, everyone.

Joe & Mary Beth

We decided to take an inland route to Chesapeake Bay called the “Dismal Swamp”.

I wonder why, I would even think it would be a nice, sunny, warm route where we would enjoy our privacy, scenery, and be a nice trip.

As soon as we pulled into the lock for the beginning of this canal (I know, another side trip, two more locks, this one will be another ‘last lock’), it started to rain.  As the lock started filling with water, the rain started coming down harder and harder, until, when full, it was pouring.  All the big motor boats in the lock with us left first, and then found out that this canal was shallow, so crawled along at about half the proper speed for here.  There were eight boats in the convoy (so much for privacy), travelling along at 3 knots, when the complaints on the radio started.  Not only is there nowhere to pass, there is nowhere to dock, with the exception of the NC Welcome Center at the Virginia border, and there is only room for a couple boats, everyone else is expected to raft.

The 50’ motor boat that was crawling so they didn’t hit bottom got on the radio and said they expected everyone else to stay away while they docked, then everyone else could fend for themselves.  It would have been fun to have a recorder to record the radio comments.

The Welcome Center was closed (not welcome on Sundays or Mondays), so we didn’t get the ‘t shirts’ we wanted, and with all the issues these folks were having, we decided we would be better off getting wet than rafting there, so we trucked on, as did another motor boat, and another sail boat.  Places to dock or anchor the boat were almost nonexistent, but we found a small government dock that we stopped for the night at, as did the other sailboat, the motor boat just drove hard through the end of the canal.

We were soaking wet, but had our privacy, and could enjoy the evening without having to walk over everyone else’s boat.  It was too wet for a pot luck dinner, and there was nothing open at the center anyway.

The next morning, up early, went to the end of the canal in the pouring rain, again, and met up with ‘Lady Margaret’ at the lock wall.  We rafted with them, to wait out the rain and get provisions.  We no longer wonder where the name “Dismal Swamp Canal” came from.

After we reached the end of the Dismal Swamp Canal, the “dismal” ended.  We travelled with Lady Margaret for a couple days, stayed at a dock, had some fresh shrimp, then stayed at a marina and took a rental car to Williamsburg.  What an interesting City that was.

It is restored to Colonial times, as its claim to fame would be during the Revolutionary War, and they have restored several buildings, including residential to that time period.  The buildings open to the public have folks working inside that are dressed in tune with the times, and everything is built, made, or baked there.  Jewelry, Blacksmiths, clothing (right from the ball of cotton), and even bricks made on site.

It was a fun trip, made better with great company to do it with.  Thanks Pat and Colin (Lady Margaret)!

From Norfolk, we again ventured outside in the Ocean, deciding our weather window was more important than visiting the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.  In preparation for our Cape Cod to Nova Scotia sail, we did an overnight from Norfolk to Atlantic City, NJ and had a grand time.

We spent the night in Atlantic City (nope, I did not get a chance to try out my system for winning at the ‘Crap” table), then got an early start stopping just short of New York City.  We are stopped at Shark Inlet, anchored for the night, and will head to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow morning.  Once again, just like Quebec City, the currents will play a very important role dictating when we can get in.

Love to everyone, we’re still having a ball.

Joe and Mary Beth  S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

Life is not about avoiding the storms; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Author unknown

The trip through North Carolina certainly had to do with storms.  Gone are the fresh breezes of the Keys, with gentle lapping rain that only lasts a few minutes.  One thunderstorm caught us so hard we had to drop anchor in the river, when I tried to get out of the channel it was too shallow to navigate, so we dropped anchor on the edge of the channel and kept a “securite, securite, securite” call out on the VHF for safety.  It is a strange feeling being out on the water alone, with a 45 foot metal stick pointing at the sky, saying “I dare you” to the lightning.

We finished the day, and moved on only to sit out another thunderstorm; we pulled into a marina and sat this one out with other (higher) masts around us.
So far we have been successful at staying at free city docks for our supplies, and the one very inexpensive and nice marina.

We crossed Albemarle Bay under sail and had a wonderful day, only to arrive at a city called the “Harbor of Hospitality”, in Elizabeth City, NC.  Free City docks, the mayor himself was on hand to tie up boats.  There was a wine and strawberry party for the arriving boaters, where the ladies were given a rose, we were all given a welcome and verbal tour of the town of 20,000 people.  They call these parties and welcome the ‘Rose Buddies’ which were started years ago to welcome boaters.  This city found out a long time ago, that cruisers have to spend money too, and will spend it where they are wanted.  Cruisers provide a lot of economic spinoff to this welcoming community.

One dockhand gave me a ride to the Gas station to buy fuel and ice, the grocery store came and picked MB up and brought her back to the boat for groceries, we visited the Museum, and then went to have dinner with “Blackbeard and his crew”.  It turns out that Blackbeard was killed in this area (Ocracoke in 1718), and it is believed that some of his booty is buried near here.  It made for a good time, of course we had “bar-b-que” for supper and after dinner, some wenches were auctioned off.  Check out the video of the Pirates singing on the sidebar.

Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first manned motorized flight in Dare County (in this area) December 17, 1903, so the museum had lots of history to show.  North Carolina sent their men to both sides in the civil war; there are lots of displays for that as well.

Tomorrow is “Potato Festival Day”; apparently they grow a lot of potatoes in this area.  Since we are from PEI where we also grow a lot of potatoes, we absolutely have to stay and watch the boat races (speedboats), the Moth Boat Races (one man sailboats designed and built in this area), free French fries, live music and a potato peeling contest, all on the waterfront, it should be a grand time.

Then we will be on our way again, headed up the “Dismal Swamp” Canal.
We’re starting to see a mist on the water in the cool mornings; we are in no hurry to see the fog start.

I hope everyone is having a good spring, we still are!

Love Joe & Mary Beth S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

Last spring we met some folks on the Great Loop via email who were doing part of the Loop we are doing, the unusual northerly route on the St. Lawrence River, Gaspe, Nova Scotia coasts.  Their motor blew up in Rimouski, and they stopped their trip, making repairs and planning to finish this year.  They sent us an email that said they had a spare dock on the ICW, and expected us to stop for a visit on our way through.

Chuck and Claria Gorgon live in Beaufort, SC (pronounced Buefort, unlike Beaufort, NC, which is pronounced Boefort).

Beaufort SC, Savannah GA, and Charleston SC were all left unscathed during the civil war, as both Generals had ties to this area, so the history is absolutely amazing.  Claria Gorgon made sure we saw it all (or at least as much as we could in the given time).

When MB and I dock for the day, we usually like to have a cocktail, relax, watch a movie or listen to some Jimmy Buffet tunes, then early to bed for our visiting and touring the next day.  HA, Claria and Chuck would have none of it.

We walked the park like setting of their island home, visited some folks in the neighborhood garden, another boat landed, Chuck moved his small sailboat to land, we visited, discussed routes and charts while sitting on their huge friendly porch in scenic comfort.

Claria then proceeded to make a 3 course meal, we ate, talked, relaxed on the porch, and we said good-bye to Chuck, who was off for a couple days, and Claria made sure we were ready for a busy day tomorrow.

We did a horse and carriage tour of Beaufort, which was enough for us, these tours are great, they give you a good overview.  Claria then proceeded to take us on a walking tour so she could explain everything the tour guide missed.  The waterfront (beautiful place to take a family), the shops, the   architecture, the food, and the Oak trees.

Bob, Ginny and George (no photo of George, from the vessel “Time Out” were leaving their boat on the dock for the summer, and had to fly out of Savannah the next morning at 7 (an hour and a half drive), so Claria was up early, drove them to the airport, came back, picked us up, and drove us back to Savannah.  “You absolutely cannot leave here without the Savannah tour”.

We toured Savannah by tour bus, the guide was great and we stayed on the bus for the whole tour, then did it again, getting on and off at several points of interest.  The Pirate House for lunch (had my mint Julep here, Claria says it wasn’t very good, she can do better), cobblestone roads, the wrought iron railings were fabulous (there was an iron foundry here, the owner said whatever they can make out of wood, he can make it in iron).  His house was built with iron columns, I didn’t bother with a photo, and you can’t tell the difference.

The streets with the overhanging trees in the city are breathtaking, the alley where gentlemen used to duel, the Churches are like a high-rise.  We toured  a huge Anglican Church (if I remember right it was the first one built in the US), MB found a statue in honor of John Wesley, who started the Church she belongs to, the police barracks with the old 50’s cars in front,  the Spanish moss on the trees, it just goes on and on.  Both Beaufort and Savannah are exceptional cities, so close and yet different, with history that just goes into your pores.

Home, then another 3 course meal of fresh shrimp.  I called Claria the energizer bunny, the woman never stops.  She was bound and determined that we were going to tour Charleston the same way and wanted to take us.  When she found out there were some folks we were going to meet there for a visit and tour she relented, but explained how upset she would be if we didn’t tour the city.

We met with Flint and Leslie Firestone in Charleston, from “GraceFul”, also on the Loop on temporary delay, for a visit and a tour.  The last time we saw the Firestones was last summer in Canada.  They have PEI ties, and we hope to meet up with some of their relatives when we return to the island.

We did a tour of Charleston by horse and carriage, we went to dinner, and we toured some houses and had a great visit.  Thanks Flint and Leslie.

There are a group of folks called “Gullah” who learned to make a living weaving marsh grass baskets.  They are not cheap, but are absolutely beautiful; they sell them at the market, while weaving them on the spot.  The same person picks the grass, dries it, and weaves it.

As you can see, we are exhausted!  We need a couple days cruising on the ICW to wind down.  Remember Marathon, a big day was going in to take a shower and drop off the garbage.

Thanks Chuck and Claria, I’ll get you back when you arrive in PEI this summer.

We are almost out of South Carolina now; we’ll see what North Carolina has in store.

Love everyone,
Joe & Mary Beth, S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”

We arrived in St. Augustine on the 20th and left on the 22nd, so we had a couple days to enjoy the company of Ron & Linda on ‘Fantasia’, a terrific couple on a 36’ sailboat that we have been enjoying the company of until Fernandina Beach, where we left them.  After St. Augustine, we went to the Ocean for some open water sailing.  Absolutely incredible is the only way I can describe it.  We watch and move with the weather we choose, and have been under sail for the most part.  The water looks absolutely filthy.  I’m sure it’s not, but it is not the beautiful aqua color of the Gulf.

We have been going into inlets to stop at night, which is normally about an hour or more to get in, and on Thursday the 23rd, the winds were so calm I got a little cocky and decided to anchor in the Ocean without going in.  I had too much sun all day, so after I was sure the anchor was set, I went to sleep.  Later, when MB woke me up, the boat was rockier than when we had anchored at the Marquesas almost in the Gulfstream.  It rocked hard all night, and we were sure we were dragging anchor.  I had to continually get up to check the plotter to make sure we were not dragging.  It was my most uncomfortable night ever, and when I got up in the morning, I was seasick, so I fed the Ocean, that makes it mine!  Lesson learned, no more Ocean anchoring (hey, I anchored in the Gulf, it was not like that).

We arrived near Savannah, Georgia on the 25th in the afternoon, are anchored in a small river (Turner Creek), it’s a nice quiet anchorage with a marina close by.  We will dingy in for supplies, showers, fuel, and to see the local sights.  There are plenty of Southern Belles in bikinis out and about, and I want to try a mint Julep at the local bar.  I used to read about them, along with the history of this area, I’m sure there will be lots to see and do.

I was surprised to find nothing like a mint Julep in the local café, where they served bar-b-que.  That’s another thing about the south; bar-b-que is a noun, not an adjective.  MB and I keep waiting for them to finish the sentence.  Bar-b-que what? The meal was good, the drinks were beer, and the entertainment never showed up.

Culture shock for me is explained when they charge me an outrageous sum of money to dock my dingy so I can go spend money in their town.  In Florida (at least the places we stayed) they were glad to see us tie our dingy up, so we could add to their local economy (food, hardware, marine supplies, etc).  If we wanted a shower, sometimes we paid for that, sometimes not, and the fee was always reasonable ($2 each, or $5 for the dingy, which included showers and wifi).

Not at our first stop in Georgia, the marina was so expensive we didn’t consider taking the big boat in, (we haven’t kept the boat in a marina with us on it since Shalimar, last November).  We anchored about a mile from the marina, and were charged $10 a day to take the dingy in.  The first day, I took empty jerry cans in to buy some gas, and he said I would have to pay the $10 for the dingy to buy gas at the marina!  I declined, went back to the boat and told MB we would have to do it all the next day.  Sunday, we paid our $10 for the dingy, which did not include showers, which was another $10, got our fuel, provisions, and went to the local café for dinner.  They had no laundry, no wifi, and no internet at all, yet I paid as much as I would have for my big boat in a full class marina on the rivers.  Welcome to the East Coast.
We have decided to try and anchor only in cities that provide free dingy tie ups, not sure if it will work or not, but we are going to try and spend our money where they want us.

There is certainly no poor economy in this part of Georgia, the marinas are full, the fuel dock is full of boats all the time, and there are always boats coming and going.

At the anchorage we are at, there are a few derelict boats.  One in particular, a large shrimp boat has been the talk of the local council, and they are trying to do away with the derelicts.  They argued about how to remove this one so long (years) that an Osprey built a nest in the mast (see photo) and the derelict is now protected, and they cannot remove it.  Too cool, it adds a local flavor to the site.

Our plans are to leave Monday morning, the next section will be slow going, we have a couple stops to make, and I want a locally made Mint Julep, perhaps I can find one in South Carolina.

Beautiful weather here, Ralph and Peg are back on the Island, the bugs are all right here in Georgia, and we are still working our way home.  MB is getting more focused than ever, she even seems to be enjoying herself in my Ocean.

Colin and Pat, we listen to Michael McLeod’s music nightly, we should have got the rest of the cd’s.

Hope everyone had a great April.  See you in May.

Joe & MB Amelia
S/V “Pot ‘O’ Gold”