Back Underway

We are happy to report that we are repaired and back underway.  The AMAZING team at Carolina Beach Boat yard took great care of us and got us back in the water in just one day!   Three men, two giant  3' wrenches, a sledge hammer and an acetylene torch got our strut straightened right out.  The repaired prop went back on and we were right back in the water.  

Heating up the strut to bend it back in place

3' long wrenches for leverage on the strut

Repaired propeller.   Good as new!

Make Me Smile back in the water where she belongs.

While we were in the yard, we each worked on small projects that are easier to tackle in a boat yard.  Hilary sanded and repainted the cover for the outboard motor and Bert worked on some modifications to the pieces he machined for the permanent dingy davit installation.  

Bert's temporary machine shop

Today we traveled 45 nautical miles (52 statute miles) from Carolina Beach to our first anchorage since we started this final segment of the trip.  Actually this is our first overnight anchorage since we purchased Make Me Smile two years ago.  Another milestone for us.  We are in Mile Hammock Bay - Camp Lejeune for the night.  The reason we stopped here is because about 5 miles ahead is the Onslow Beach Bridge which is being replaced and has restricted opening times.  The reported opening times are before 8am, between 12-1pm and after 5pm.  In the picture below, the red dot shows our anchorage and the yellow circle is the Onslow Beach Bridge.  Later this evening a call will be placed to the bridge tender to confirm openings for tomorrow.  We hope to be through before 8am.

The red dot is where we are anchored. 
The yellow circle is the Onslow Beach bridge with a limited opening schedule.

Other boats anchored with us in Mile Hammock Bay - Camp Lejeune

Once we successfully pass through the Onslow Beach bridge tomorrow we will be on our way to Morehead City where we plan to stay through Monday. 

On the Hard

After hitting the submerged obstacle on April Fools' Day, we are on the hard, but overall have all good news to report.  We were able to arrange for a haul out mid-day yesterday right here at Carolina Beach.  As expected, we have a bent prop blade.  The prop is already at the prop shop for repair and we are optimistic we'll have it back today.   What was not expected is the port side strut is also bent.  The good news is the yard believes they can heat it and bend it back without removing the shaft and strut.  Bert will likely need to re-align the port engine after this work is complete.

Make Me Smile - on the hard

Bent prop blade on the port side

Prop removal so it can be sent out for repair

There wasn't much we could do while the boat was being blocked in the yard so we took advantage of the time to go for a run / skateboard tour of the area.  We routed a trip over to the ocean at Carolina Beach.  Carolina Beach is a very nice area and we are fortunate to be on the hard here.  Lots of things for tourists to do.  After we complete the Great Loop, this is a place for us to return to in the future, maybe with an RV.  The area of the beach near what used to be Carolina Beach Pier is closed, but there is a park farther up where the beach is open.

What's left of the Closed Carolina Beach Pier

Carolina Beach Pier area
Lots of huge boulders have been brought in to provide a barrier.

Farther up Carolina Beach is open
4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed park on the beach.

After spending some time seeing the area, we came back to the boat to start boat projects.  As long as we are on the hard, we decided to make full use of the time we are here and the remaining daylight.  Hilary started by buffing out the cosmetic paint scrapes after our collision in Jacksonville.  We have color matched automotive paint for the hull that requires a mixing ratio of 8:1.  The painting went very well and the damage is repaired but it turns out a red solo cup is not a suitable mixing vessel for automotive paint.  Who knew that 9 teaspoons of paint could make such a mess!!!!!

The bottom fell out of the red solo cup, along with 9 teaspoons of blue hull paint.

The ladder didn't clean up too well, but rubbing alcohol and about 20 minutes of scrubbing got Hilary cleaned up.  Glad to not have a blue foot all summer.

Hilary is in need of a new pair of flip flops as there was no saving this one.

Before Repair

Before Repair

After Repair - Good as New!

Bert was able to put more caulk on the new thru-hull fitting we installed right before we started the trip as it had a very small leak.  Today we have more projects planned in combination with getting out to see the area some more and enjoy our time in Carolina Beach.  

The marina and boat yard both knew of the submerged obstruction we hit and encouraged us to file a report with the North Carolina sector of the US Coast Guard which we have completed.  Our understanding is the more reports the USCG receives, this increases the likelihood of them marking and/or removing the obstruction so other boater's don't sustain damage. 

Should we stop traveling on Holidays?

St. Patrick's Day and April Fool's Day are not traditional holiday's but we are considering stopping travel on such days as those days are seeming to be the days we struggle.  You'll recall St. Patrick's Day was a tough day for us with a soft grounding among other things.  April Fool's Day was not near as challenging, but we did not get through the day without an inconvenience.  More on that later.  The good news is we ended the day as planned, tucked away in Carolina Beach Harbor on a mooring ball.  We are protected on all four sides and got to enjoy a sunset on the bridge after the day's events.

Sunset View - Carolina Beach Harbor

Carolina Beach Harbor - very protected mooring field

Mooring Ball with a "saucer" on top to hold the mooring pendant.
This "saucer" keeps the pendant out of the water and keeps it nice.  
Upon departure, the expectation is to put the pendant back in the "saucer".
This is the first one of these we've seen. 
Most often the pendant is floating in the water and pretty nasty to handle.
Hilary always wears gloves when attaching to a mooring ball.

Backing up a bit, our two night stay in Georgetown was satisfactory.  As expected, rain came through on Sunday morning, but was of no inconvenience to us.  In the afternoon Hilary was able to go for a 10K run and Bert joined on his electric skateboard.  We were able to complete all errands on the route we mapped out (Harbor Freight, Walgreens and Wal-Mart).  Once the groceries were put away, we headed out on foot for the 1.5 mile walk to the Georgetown Boardwalk where we relaxed for a bit listening to live music and enjoying some nachos.  The homes and flowering bushes all along the routes were just stunning.  Many homes built in the 1890's or very early 1900's.  We also came across a place with a ton of jeeps.  For those unaware, Bert knows quite a bit about jeeps.  This particular jeep is unique as the grill is not  traditional.  This particular type of jeep was used on aircraft carriers, a CJ 10.

CJ 10 Jeep

Enjoying some time off the Boat in Georgetown, SC

Flowering bushes are everywhere in this part of the country.

On Monday, we had a long, uneventful and peaceful 60 nautical mile (9 hour) journey to Ocean Isle Marina just into North Carolina.  We left early and arrived just before 4pm closing time and were able to get off the boat for a quick 5K run / skateboard ride.  Monday night a line of heavy thunderstorms came through but the worst was over in about 15 minutes.  We have been very fortunate to avoid traveling in the rain so far.

Yesterday was a shorter day at 36 nautical miles (4.5 hours).  The day started great.  A walk for Hilary, a chance to sleep in a bit for Bert, nice breakfast, etc.  We were underway shortly after 11:00am.  Each day we seem to get stretches of the river when we are running with the tide/current and stretches when we are running against the tide/current.  Our typical cruising speed is about 9mph.  Yesterday in the Cape Fear area, we encountered a very strong current against us dropping our speed to under 4mph.  The outgoing tide against us was impressive to say the least as you can see it rushing past the green buoy below.  As we've written before, what is it with these names?  Does a river really need to be called Cape Fear????

Strong current pushing against us as we headed up Cape Fear river.

Speed dropped to 3.5mph due to current against us.
An hour earlier we were cruising along over 10mph.

Now we get to the April Fool's Day part, and this is NOT an April Fool's joke as we would never joke about prop damage. We were just getting some speed back and preparing to head into Snow's Cut and were about 4-5 miles from our destination when BOOM!, we hit something submerged.  We hit hard.  We were in the channel, exactly where we were supposed to be, it was a falling tide, but it was not low tide and we had plenty of water under us.  We know from other boaters that these things do happen.  We had been warned of a log/tree in the area the day prior and were on the lookout.  Near as we can tell, it is a submerged tree/log or section of dock that, has not sunk to the bottom yet.  Immediately we felt the shudder on the port side.  Uugh!  

The last few miles we traveled with just the starboard engine, through some pretty sketching shoaling.  Once we got on the mooring ball, we immediately started calling around to see where in the area we can get a short haul, but it was exactly 5pm and everything was closed.  Bert got out his mask, put on his bathing suit and dove the boat (in 66 degree water) to do a visual inspection and indeed, one of the blades on the port side is bent, badly. 

This morning at 8am, we'll start calling to see if we can get a short haul and what it will take to repair/replace the prop, or props, so we can get moving once again.  One of our friends we were talking to on the phone put it in perspective, in that this is the boater's equivalent of a flat tire.  So true.

So......we are safe and we are grateful we were close to our destination for the day when it happened.  But you can also see why we think we should stop traveling via boat on holidays.   

We can use everyone's positive thoughts that we can locate a lift nearby that can accommodate us for a short haul today and we can get prop repaired/replaced, hopefully this morning.  We have a lead on the short haul, which is the first step, so we are very hopeful.

Where did the last week go?

 Hi All!

We have had a great past week, filled with good weather, good boating and good friends.  We are currently in Georgetown, SC and have catching up to do in regard to this blog.

Last week while we were in Beaufort, SC, we were able to spend time with our friends from Michigan and also blessed to meet new friends.  We have learned the South Carolina Beaufort is pronounced "Bew'-fort" in contrast to the North Carolina Beaufort which is pronounced "Boe'-fort".

Before I get too far, we found a solution for the hole left in the dash after the marine radio was relocated.  We had a fun sign that we had been struggling to find a home for.  We think it's found its home, at least for awhile.  Installed with two-way tape giving us the flexibility to make a change later.

Problem:  hole in the dash

Solution: two-way tape and a sign

Another project we addressed while in Beaufort was clean up on the radar arch up on the bridge.  As background, there was huge non-functioning 2005 vintage TV antenna dome that needed to be removed along with two non-functioning lights of the same vintage and also our anchor lightbulbs were needing to be replaced with LED ones that draw less power.  While accomplishing removal of all these items, we discovered the bugs in South Carolina are NOT the same as in Florida.  In Florida we had "no-see-ums" and Thermacell worked wonders.  Well, Thermacell does not work on the little flying critters in South Carolina.   New friends from Coastal Fogg (a Mainship Trawler) saw us swatting away and suggested No Natz.  It works amazingly well and comes in spray and candle.  So if you are ever in this area of the country, you have to pick some up.

No Natz recommended by new friends on Coastal Fogg.  Thank you!!!!

In an earlier post, it was mentioned that seating since starting the trip has also been a challenge.  A trip to the local Wal-Mart in Beaufort via eBike and eScooter solved the problem.  Bert now has a set of bed-risers for his directors chair and has good visibility when driving from the inside helm.  Hilary now has a back rest that will work both when sitting on the table inside and also when sitting up on the bridge.  Best of all, the seat was 50% off in the clearance aisle of Wal-Mart!  We looked like something with a new seat strapped down to Hilary's bike rack for the ride home along with all our other purchases.

Successful trip home from Wal-Mart with new seat and double backpacks.
Bert also had his backpack stuffed to maximum capacity.

7.25" bed risers under the legs of the directors chair provides for good visibility for our Captain.
Bert no longer has to drive standing up all day. 

While un-conventional, Hilary now has a seat with a back for days spent navigating from the lower, inside helm.  The former home-office turned into navigation command center by day and is still the dinner table after hours.

We were able to take one day and drive up to Charleston with our MI friends.  On the way up we saw three F35s fly right over us.  Very cool and very hard to get a picture of from the backseat of the car.

F35

In Charleston, the four of us did a horse drawn carriage tour of the city, walked the City Market and had lunch at Henry's, established in 1932, and is Charleston's oldest restaurant and the oldest restaurant in all of South Carolina per the tax records.  Of course a bowl of She Crab Soup was the only choice as it was created in Charleston. Delicious!  For those not familiar, She Crab Soup is a seafood chowder named after the female crabs that provide the roe which provide the distinctive orange color.

Carriage ride in Charleston

The Charleston Place Hotel

We had a long travel day from Beaufort to Charleston on Friday (60 nautical miles) with tide and current working against us.  We had secured overnight dockage on the fuel dock at the Maritime Center and could not arrive before 5:00pm but needed to arrive before 6:00pm.  Most of their docks were destroyed in hurricane Helene so they have very little transient slips and only the fuel dock was left.  We left Beaufort at 8:48am and arrived at 5:55pm.  Go us!  Our captain is amazing.  Crazy strong current upon dockage on Friday night and an audience as the boat that takes a Friday night cruise around Charleston Harbor was starting to load passengers right next to us.  The very active shipping channel for Charleston Harbor calmed down as nightfall came so we had a good night's sleep.

Dockage way out at the end on the fuel dock at the Maritime Center in Charleston. 
Note the USS Yorktown in the background across the shipping channel.

 

Sunrise close up of the deck of the USS Yorktown

We had to be off the fuel dock at the Maritime Center before 8:00 am.  We departed at 7:56am for another long travel day to Georgetown, SC.  Much of the 56.4 nautical miles were through man made cuts and not near as windy as the prior day.  Current/tide worked against us again for much of the day and arrived for a two day stay just after 4pm.  

56.4 NM route traveled 03-29-2025

Vessel hailing from Charleston that we passed

Still not quite used to the massive 8-9' tides in this area.  
Note the boat is sitting in the mud at low tide.  In six hours, it will be up over 8'!

A barge we needed to pass in a narrow point in the channel at low tide.  
All navigated successfully.

This morning (Sunday) is gloomy and rainy which is why we are staying put today.  This afternoon we hope to get out and about to the grocery and see a bit of downtown Georgetown before departing again tomorrow.  There is some weather predicted for later in the day tomorrow and we plan to start early for another long day as the marina in North Carolina we'll be at Monday night closes at 4pm so we'd like to arrive before they close and the rain starts.

Hilton Head, SC: Weekend Respite

Friday we traveled 51.5 nautical miles (59 statute miles). It was a long day again departing just before 10:00am and arriving just after 5:00pm.  Like many Loopers, we are using the free Nebo app to track our daily progress.  Below is the recap created at the end of each trip logged.  The Nebo app also tracks all other Loopers using it so we can see live location and use a chat feature to communicate with other Loopers.  This is something new since we started our loop back in 2012.  Early afternoon we crossed from Georgia into South Carolina.

Our route on Friday:  a typical winding day on the ICW 

We timed our departure to coincide with rising/high tide to traverse a narrow area called Hell's Gate around 11:30am. Why these places get the names the do we'll never come to understand, but I can tell you, it doesn't help the stress level when planning and traveling. Just as we were approaching Hell's Gate, we saw a large commercial vessel exiting and at that point, knew we'd have no trouble getting through as it showed a 7' draft on the side.  We only need 4'.

Just after Hell's Gate, we weren't paying close enough attention and started following a track up a side river to a marina rather than where we were supposed to be going on the ICW. The "wrong turn" only cost us about 20 minutes, but the chart plotter was showing we were driving on land even though the depth finder said 12' of water beneath us. Our captain handled it like a pro as usual.  In the map image above around 11:53am you can see our small detour we had on Friday.

While it may not seem too exciting to some to cruise along between 8-10mph, you'd be surprised the number of navigation opportunities that arise along the way.  For those of you that are not boaters, one rule of the sea is that sailboats have priority over powerboats so when you come across one (or more) sailboats, they get priority because they are at the mercy of the wind.  As we were passing by a yacht club, their sailboat club was out and actively sailing.  These were very small single handler sailboats, but regardless of size, they get right of way and in some cases are beginners and much less practiced at controlling their direction that experienced sailors.  Mind you, not only does the captain have to watch and give right of way to all of the sailing vessels, this must be done watching depth and the channel markers to make sure we stay where we are supposed to be.  Fortunately, a guide boat affiliated with the group came in front of us and guided us across the sailboat club.  

The sailboat club we passed through.  We counted 26 of them.

The sailing club watch boat that guided our path safely through the sailing club.

After Hell's Gate, the slight detour and the sailing club, we weren't quite done navigation opportunities for the day.  The next one was a very large work crew doing bridge repair/maintenance.  As we approached it appeared the entire waterway was blocked, but as we got closer, we hailed the work crew on the radio, hailing them as "the work crew at the (insert bridge name here)".  They responded immediately and gave instruction on where we should pass through.  About half of the waterway was blocked by a barge under the bridge, but we still were able to get through, very slowly, so as not to cause any wake for the workers on the barges. It felt like we were going to touch the bridge and the barge on each side, but in reality there was probably at least 20' on each side of Make Me Smile as we passed under the bridge.

Bridge work crew we passed next to under the bridge

Upon arrival at Windmill Harbour Marina, passage through their private lock is required to enter the marina basin.  Inside the marina basin, there is no tide and it is VERY protected with homes on all sides.  Make Me Smile is 45' LOA with a 14' beam.  The lock chamber is 70' x 17'.  A snug fit, but still adequate room.  We locked up about 2' enter the marina.  Below is a view from Google Maps of the lock and marina.  The lock entry is the lower left corner on the map.

Windmill Harbour Marina

Lock Approach

Inside Lock

View looking out of the lock to the ICW

Mini crossing gate down and red light indicating no
pedestrian passage across lock when it is opening/closing.

We have enjoyed a restful weekend in the tide-free basin at Windmill Harbour Marina.  This is an exclusive, private, community that is removed from the hustle/bustle of Hilton Head's tourist area.  Although exclusive, the transient slip pricing was the most affordable in the area which is why we selected it.  We are directly across from the South Carolina Yacht Club and enjoyed free live music on Friday night as there was a wedding at the yacht club.  The bride/groom arrived at sunset via sailboat.

Wedding at South Carolina Yacht Club

There is a 1 mile loop around the marina basin that walkers enjoy.  We think everyone that lives here owns a dog and we have been enjoying watching all the dogs go by each day.  Hilary did several laps on Saturday morning while catching up with friends on the phone.

On Saturday, we ordered a ride share and got ourselves away from the boat and out into civilization for the first time in over a week.  We enjoyed a beverage and split a salmon BLT and some fries at a place called The Sandbar and then walked about a mile to a grocery store to get a few things and then ordered a ride share back to the marina to enjoy sunset out at the end of the pier.

Lunch at Sandbar.  It feels good to be around other humans.

Chilly and Windy at the end of the Pier for Sunset

Sunset view from the Pier at Windmill Harbour Marina

While we have been here for the last several days, Bert and been picking away at small projects.  The list of projects is never ending.  You'll recall at an earlier mooring he changed Honda generator oil and at another stop, Bert repaired the electric plug on the bow of the boat where we can plug in shore-power.  It has not been functional since we purchased Make Me Smile two years ago.  Now we have a choice to plug in shore power from the bow or the stern depending on how we are positioned in a slip and where the power pole is.  This is good as our power cord is only 50' and also avoids a potential trip hazard when plugged in to power in transient slips.

One project for this stop was re-locating the marina radio in the lower helm.  The factory location makes it impossible to see and change channels when navigating.  Note the new hole to the left of the steering wheel that will need to be addressed at some point in the future as it is cosmetically unappealing.  But the radio screen and buttons/knobs are now in clear view for the captain while underway which is what is most important.

Marine Radio relocation and associated hole to be addressed at a later time. 
We are thinking some sort of pre-fabricated storage cabinet.  

It is common for boaters to fly a burgee showing any clubs/associations they are affiliated with.  America's Great Loop and Cruisers Association has several burgees.  White for those completing the loop and Gold once the loop has been completed.  This helps other Loopers identify each other and show their level of experience with the Loop.  Somehow we forgot to put our burgee up as part of our departure preparations so for the first week of our trip, nobody new we were Loopers unless they were using the Nebo app.  We did not have the correct railing hardware to attach the burgee but Bert did find a way to get it mounted with a couple hose clamps.  Yea!!!  Necessity is the mother of invention.

Looper Burgee

Sunday afternoon, we explored the community and looked at all the homes on a 10K run/skateboard ride.  Beautiful weather in the low 70s and sunny.  Perfect for a run.  The community is so large, we were able to complete a 10K without leaving the front gate.

Today, Monday, we will leave Windmill Harbour Marina and Hilton Head.  We have a short 23 mile ride to Beaufort, South Carolina.  This afternoon we hope to catch a mooring ball for the night and then we have a confirmed reservation for Tuesday - Thursday at Lady's Island Marina.  We have three nights reserved to spend time with our friends on vacation from Michigan.

We are getting some feedback from readers.  We'd LOVE to answer questions if you have them.  Email us or add a comment to the blog with questions.