The freshest oysters

A lay day and a day of discovery. Still in Rock creek due to the breeze out of the north. 

Spent the morning studying charts and guides for the section down to and thru part of Georgia. It's truly a maze of creeks, cuts, rivers, islands. It also has 8 - 9' tides which means lots of currents. 

I know it's really cold up North, but I am looking forward to warmer climes down here. It's in the 30's in the morning then climbs to the mid 50's in the afternoon. 

As I write this on the morning of the 16th guys are hunting with really big shotguns not too far away. Little scary. 

In the afternoon I decided to go for a row up the river to investigate what's around the bend. I a mile or so and found an area that was mostly land with cedar, palm, live oak, and what looked like azalea. Very beautiful but I didn't get out of the dinghy, snake bites when one is 20 miles from civilization does not appeal. 

I the way back I just drifted along the edge with the tide and breeze. There are large clumps of oyster beds. I had no idea how to open them but thought I'd give it a shot. I pulled out a clump and brought it back to the boat. I had to scrub the shells to get rid of the muck and then tried my hand at opening them. They grow on top of one another so the big ones may have 5 little guys on the outside shell. Once you get s big one open it's had to believe this thing was in a muddy silt. Their beautiful inside and clean so much so you don't have any doubts about eating them. I have not had a lot of oysters but I'll bet these were the freshest I've had!

Shanken Flukes top secret gear

AP. WS Beaufort SC

4TH Generation anchor hunter to disclose long held secrets!!


It has come to this reporters attention thru long held sources that Mr. Shanken Flukes famed anchor hunter has reached his bitterend and has agreed to come forth and reveal the secrets of his family's success in the endeavors of hunting rare and lost anchors. Enclosed in this article is a photo taken as recently as one day ago showing the business end of the gear "ole" Shanken uses on the anchor hunts. 

It has also come to this reporters attention that the US government may use this in Top Secret Ops(or is it oops)

Says Shanken " I"m only to glad to get the world of lost anchors out of the mud" 

A line that will go down in history!

Reported by Worrn Rodes
While the boat was high and dry I thought it a good idea if I took my anchor, chain, and rode out to help pull star off the mud bank if the tide didn't come up enough. There had been and still was a strong northwest breeze pushing all the water out of the creek.

I ran the bitter end thru some blocks and back to the cockpit winches. I then put the rest of the gear into the dinghy and rowed out to the opposite bank letting the line and chain out.  I dropped the anchor over and while drifting down stream clean the mud and muck out of the dinghy I looked back and knew something was wrong. 

It was one of those times your brain says this is reality but your emotions say no this can't be this didn't happen. I had forgotten to attach the bitter end! As I pulled and let the anchor rode out of the dinghy I was also pulling it thru the blocks and out into the creek. 

I was really mad and upset(although I don't think those were the words I would have used at the time). I took off as much clothing as I could and waded into the water trying to search with my feet to see if hopefully the end didn't go out to far. 

I kept sinking up to my calfs in this really thick mud and was having trouble pulling my legs out with each step. Not worth it I wasn't going to drown for an anchor. I made my way back to sandbank where the boat was, got out the small danforth and tried to drag for it. No go 

Here I was my boat completely out of the water, up a creek on a sandbank 20 miles from civilization, I just lost 400.00 worth of anchoring gear because of a really stupid mistake, and to top it off it was my Birthday aaaaggh!


Stay tuned for part two of the story of Shanken Flukes

The morning started out cold about 36• the cold front had gone thru and with it the usual wind. I'm getting used to it. With lots of current and wind opposing the current it was easy to get the anchor in. Now I was on my way to Beaufort. Or about half way.winding my way down thru a maze of creeks and cuts I can see how if you weren't paying attention you could take the wrong turn and find your way in a predicament. I was really in the Sea islands now. 

Halfway thru the last cut into a big body of water around the corner comes a barge being pushed by a tug. I don't know how wide this cut was but there was going to be barely enough room for both. I don't care how many times you do this it still puts your heart in your throat. They call these things cuts for a reason. All worked out and he even waved, sounds silly but it means something. 

I got to the end of the cut turned the corner and turned right back. With the elements against the boat it doesn't make any sense to try get somewhere at 1.5 knots. The northwest breeze makes for a beautiful day but....

Getting back to the beginning  of the cut I turned left up the remaining part of the creek and found a place out of the wind. I slowed the boat down ready to jump forward let go the anchor. The boat really slowed down actually it stopped on its own, current I thought because the chart said 17'. It wasn't current, I was caught on a sand bank and the tide was going out like gang busters. Before I could do anything I knew the boat wasn't going anywhere. At least it was a nice spot to be On my birthday, and I assumed the boat would just stand up as the water went out. 

The problem is a 7' tide and with the northwest breeze pushing more water out I wasn't going to be straight up and down, quite the opposite! I hope the pictures show the tides effect. 

I had gotten stuck around 3/4 tide with it unfortunately going out so I had to wait for it to go all the way out and then come back in. 

The cool part was, this is when the dolphins come in to catch what ever was hiding in the marsh grasses and gets swept down stream. As the dolphins made there way up the creek they went on either side of the sand bar I was "temporally resting" on. As they went by they would blow and cock their head sometimes and give me one of those side glances that said "humans - how did they last this long?" then on their return they had to go on one side only, it was like a little parade, very fun. 

By 10:00 that night I was back to floating (a great birthday gift)and moved the boat farther down the creek towards the cut, making sure I was dead center between sides. Oh well!

Sent from my iPhone

A fresh brownie and 30 bags of groceries

Weather is coming, I'm in a good spot so I think I'll stay the day. NOAA says 25 to 35 in the gusts. No reason to go anywhere. 

This morning I got a visit from the owner of a boat behind me which is a 40 catamaran. He handed over a tin foil package containing a corn muffin and brownie that his daughter had made.  

What a surprise! He along with his wife and two teenage kids were on there way down south to the keys. The kids are home schooled, mom and dad are both graphic designers and work from the boat. What a life!  They are traveling in tandem with the couple on the boat in front of me. They have been doing this ( the waterway ) for 27 years. Both boats left Washington DC in the beginning of December. That's cold!

After the weather cleared David from the cat came by and offered a ride into town for fuel and groceries. On the way we picked up Steve from the other boat and all crammed into an old VW sedan, fuel cans and all. Once again the generosity of people who cruise... They just understand because they've been there or still are. 


So in a 1980 VW jetta(read beat) three grown men, three five gallons jugs of gas, and what had to be thirty bags of groceries, the poor thing would bottom out on every other bump. Only people who live on boats would think nothing of it.

        


I left the dock at exactly 8:00, with a slight tide against star and no breeze making it an easy start to next part of the adventure. It was nice to be free of the boatyard and on my way down the river. I didn't have a chart of the upper wando river but it was well marked and I made my down without any problems. 


The loons were there as were the pelicans. The trees had definitely lost all there leaves if you told me I was going down the Connecticut river I wouldn't have argued. 


Star passed three container ships being loaded and unloaded, it's quite a sight. Thousands of containers that all have to be put on trucks and all done in the right order!  Up ahead were the two huge bridges that span the Wando and further south the Cooper river. As I looked down thru the bridges a very large container ship was making his way up the harbor and into the river. I decided that maybe he would want the whole center section and moved out of the way. But even with plenty of time and me in another section we passed each other at the bridge, it's amazing and scary how fast they move!

Container Ships have right of way!

Now all that I had to do was go around Charleston head up the Ashley river and find the entrance to the Wappo creek. Easy except now the tide had turned and was coming against me again, no matter it was warm with a light breeze and I had all day. Finding the entrance and going under the highway bridge I now had to go thru the Wappo creek bridge. As I got closer the current was stronger and I really didn't  know if the little engine that could- could. 


I came up on the bridge hailed the tender and she opened it right away for me. As I finally came close she said come along and bring her thru captain, I had to explain that I was giving her all's she's got and we were getting there!  Finally I got thru ,hailed the the tender and thanked her for her patience. It was by far the most stressful bridge opening cause I really didn't know if it was going to happen. Getting caught on the other side and being swept onto the bridge abbutments could ruin your whole day. In the end it all worked out and I pulled in behind an island not to far down the creek for the night, enough excitement for the first day back. 

The voyage continues

     As I opened my eyes this morning, it was a bit of a stretch to figure out that I was actually back on Star and in Charleston. But here I am armed with my IPod and ready to continue on. 

 

     The first thing on the list was to put the dinghy overboard again. I had it all planned out with halyards, spinnaker pole, guy lines, everything one would need to launch one of the Queen Mary's lifeboats. In the end I flipped it over while still on the foredeck, raised it with the halyard, pushed it overboard, and lowered it to a very soft splash. Not what I expected, but I'll take it. 
     Next was would the engine start?  If not I would become a customer at this yard-- not a good idea, since most boats here would use Star as a dinghy. As usual my fears were false, starting up on the first try and running as if it had been going everyday. 
     My chances for getting a ride to the grocery store weren't looking to good so I took inventory of what I had in my cooler and three storage bins, and clearly had enough to last to either Beaufort or even Savanna. I apparently have a thing for green cut beans, who would of thought?
Before leaving for the northern tundra I made sure everything would be ready to go when I got back for the rest of the trip south, I'm glad I did because I'm getting funny looks from the yard guys and I think it's time for the Yankee to take leave!
     Thank goodness for Bill Livingston I would like to thank him here and say that this part of the trip would have been a lot different had it not been for his generosity. Without knowing it he probably added a whole month to the trip. Thank you. 
Tonight we're going to go get a beer,I'll come back turn the boat around with the help of the tide and have Star point down river for an easy take off and say good bye to Charleston. 

From Grahm Creek to Inlet Creek

This was a nice easy trip mainly because of the distance and the channel so straight, but I knew that another front was coming thru and I would have plenty of time to settle into Inlet creek. On the way down to the creek you can see the last bridge you have to go thru before entering Charleston harbor. It was very tempting to keep going, and after all wasn't I just going to Charleston? How much farther could the Charleston "City" boatyard be? Thank goodness I didn't - "City" ain't got anything to do with where that boatyard is! Arriving at the creek I turned right as if I was getting off the I95 checking the chart it looked like I had plenty of water for at least a half mile up.  I got to the mouth at about half tide with it coming in so I had to careful to anchor in the right place but with plenty of water showing on the charts no big deal Ha! The creek takes a lot of hard sharp bends so that you can't see whats around the corner until you get there. Well just around that first corner it had silted in to a bar that went half way across and where the only thing that could get thru would be a small outboard. So much for 12 to 15'!
I dropped the anchor 200' back from the bar in 8-10' with 60' of rode out, plenty for riding out a strong breeze - I hope. The creek at this point seemed about 100' wide so hopefully the breeze wouldn't shift so I would be up against the edge but what are you going to do?
 I had plenty of time before dark so went out for a row and by the time I got back the tide had come in enough to cover the bar. Boy if I had come in then I would have run right up on top of it without a clue! Down below I thought I would give Charleston a break tomorrow and took a shower. As I was drying my hair I heard a boat boat coming into the creek and popped my head up to see what it was. To my surprise a 40 footer went past me at about 5 knots with another 40 footer right behind him heading straight for what was now the hidden bar! I screamed at the top of my lungs and with that luckily the first boat heard me and came to a very impressive stop while the boat behind him had to not only slow dow but avoid hitting him.  It was almost comical. I yelled over that there was a hidden bar not fifty feet in front of him and he responded that he had been here before and didn't remember any bar.. Okay so I was really fibbing and just want to see you guys pile up on one another, what can I say I'm bored! They slowly came around and went towards the creek entrance to find a place to anchor. But the first guy slowed down and dropped his hook, backed down and I was astounded that when he finished his transom was directly over my anchor! I could spit and hit his boat. Now what do I do? Do I yell, Do I ask nicely, He was a big ugly guy in a big ugly pirate looking thing. Crap. So to review... I save this guy and his buddy from running up on a oyster encrusted sand bar at the top of the tide and no one say thanks, even a nod would have been nice, and then  Captain Jack Sparrow decides to park 40' in front of me, and all this with a front coming thru, thunder storms and all! Time for wine. Also, I have 60' of rode out. Whats going to happen when the wind shifts and he's behind me? If he doesn't have a lot of scope out we're going to be bunk buddies. I refuse to move - I was here first. More wine.
The suns going down and with the sky changing every minute its beautiful, and dramatic at the same time. I can only think here it comes. As the 6' tide recedes and Star drops ever so slowly I see less and less of the golden marshes, while the sides of the creek creep in towards the boats, how thin the creek gets only time  will tell. The boats have turned with the tide and Capt Long John realizing he's misjudged things brings in some of his scope, it's still not enough but better.
I wish I could say the rest of the night was dull, but alas it wasn't. The breeze came in and with it thunder storms with amazing amounts of rain. So much so, you couldn't see the boats behind me even though we were so cozy and close. The breeze shifted and with the tide going out at a good rate I found Star hardly moving and actually come to think of it she wasn't moving at all! I was hard aground, well in the mud, there was only one thing to do - I went to sleep. Star would have to figure it out for herself.
In the morning I was floating but the wind still had some strength to it. I sat with my tea and watch with some glee as the "gentleman" in front of me had to grind in his chain rode by hand, I swear he going to drop dead on deck at any moment, but he got it in and he and his buddy on the other boat raced off to catch the bridge and get a early start on the day. Once again with a bit of glee I knew that the bridge's first opening wasn't until 9:00 o'clock, it now being around 7:00 they were going to have to mill about for two solid hours - oh well!