Thursday, May 10

Southport to Camp LeJeune

Yes, actually,  we are camped out at Camp LeJeune, NC.  We called ahead (I am not making this up) and they told us there were not going to be maneuvers tonite so we could anchor out in a bay that is used for launching naval training vessels and I suppose all manner of rockets and helicopters and such. The word is out, this is a nice spot and we are surrounded by 8 other trawlers and 3 sailboats.

Today the weather was fabulous, about 70 degrees and riding above the water we needed to wear a fleece.  Little fluffy clouds for ambiance and not so much wildlife, but more homes and boat docks and civilization.  If you've tried looking at a map of the ICW (IntraCoastalWaterway) you must have wondered how in the world one can find their way.  Its actually called a chart in boatspeak and it looks like a Jackson Pollack painting - spattered full of dots and squares and triangles and numbers for everything.  Basically everything is marked, the trick is figuring out what mark means what. The basics are:  There are red triangles and green squares.  They put the squares and triangles on high posts above the water to show you where the channel is.... red triangles go on the left, and green squares go on the right and you drive right between them.  Unless you are going upriver, the green is on the left and the red is on the right.... or the other way around.  And of course if you get in a big hunk of water like Cape Fear (aptly named) there are channels going in all different directions. From the water it looks like a random garden of red and green stick flowers.  One more thing - if you head down the channel marked "restricted" a pilot boat comes toward you with a menacing look and you quickly determine that you should try another channel - even if the water may be only 2 feet deep.  Or you go back to the green triangle where you turned left, and you turn right.     We haven't even gotten to yellow marks and range lights and cable crossings and the difference between a swing bridge and a lift bridge.
Timing the bridges can be a subject for another day. 
The upside is spending the day (or 3 in a row) alone with your honey in a small comfy space with sunshine and good food and all the other good stuff.

I can hear what I think are big helicopters going over right now.  Tomorrow we will head toward Norfolk again.  The charts look even more complicated than today.  Good thing we have two people to take turns driving and navigating. 
If you want to give us any advice, you can post it here for the world, or send us a text.  The cell phones work everywhere.

One final note:  A moment of silence please for my favorite hat which was lost at sea today near Myrtle Beach.  A very classy final resting place.