The US Navy is one big .....

We made it, we're north of the hurricane zone.  We arrived in Norfolk, VA today.  It was an eventful day too.  We spun a prop on a submerged log while waiting for a barge to clear a swing bridge, we dropped a fender while entering a lock (among two other boats) and Lenore risked life and limb to retrieve it, and then as we were passing Norfolk it rained cats and dogs, reducing visibility to 1/4 mile.  Nonetheless, we saw quite allot of our mighty Navy.  Norfolk is one big navy yard.  For about 5 miles, at every turn there was another set of big gray ships being refitted or otherwise under construction.  The carriers were awesome.  We pulled into a bay behind one of the facilities, avoiding the restricted zone that our chart plotter had us going through on its automatic route, and it turned out to be an area where the Navy Seals practice helicopter rescues.  Three guys jumped out, into the water and another guy hung on a cable, picking them up one by one.  Awesome!

Still having fun in the sun.  We're now several stops above Charleston, anchored off the inside of Shackleford Banks, near Beaufort, NC.  On the way up we took a little side trip to Wilmington, NC where we left the boat while visiting with old friends from "waaaaay back when" - Jane and Chip Carnathan.  Chip drove all the way down from Hillsborough to pick us up - 2.5 h each way.  We stayed at their house for two nights.  We went to the traveling broadway show, 42nd Street, tooled around the neat little town of Hillsborough (allot like Valparaiso), and went to an outdoor sculpture exhibit.  Although it sounds like we packed a whole lot into a 2 night visit, it was very relaxing and we greatly appreciated the chance to be away from the boat for a while.  What terrific hosts those Carnathans are.

As you can see from the pics, we're still enjoying all the beautiful natural surroundings as Miss Hattie chugs along.  The wild horses are a rare treat - they arrived in the late 15th century with Columbus and then more came as ships wrecked off Cape Lookout to the east.  The Spanish ancestry of these horses has been established through DNA testing - what a world we live in! 

Now heading toward Norfolk, VA (4 days travel).  No, we will not take the Dismal Swamp route!

Itty-bitty Crab at Little River Inlet (NB, camera cord on right) 

Ooops, we stayed on the other side too long

Patrick Dougherty twig sculpture, roof detail

Jane and Chip, Dougherty Sculpture

Lenore, Chip, Jane - at house in Hillsborough, NC

Wrightsville Beach, NC, parking meter in bay

ICW goes through Camp Lejeune

Shackleton Banks, Atlantic side

wild horses on Shackleford Banks

Charleston, SC

Charleston-Mt Pleasant Bridge (from marina)

a colonial hse, ca., 1720

1780 Hse, side porch and garden

pre-revolutionary bldg

Waterway, Beaufort-Charleston 1

Haulout to inspect running gear - all was well (except zincs)

Waterway, Beaufort-Charleston 2, long walk to boat

Waterway, Beaufort-Charleston 3, note tide marks, 5.5 ft

Fort Sumter, first shot of the Civil War (rebs took it)

Nathaniel Russel Hse, looking up staircase

Nathaniel Russel Hse, 1760

into Harbor River, the birds thought we were a fishing boat

The haulout on April 27 went well, we went into the marina the night before, hauled the next AM, and found all was okay underneath, except the shaft zincs were 80% corroded (after only 4 months - maybe the faulty 120V inlet socket I replaced was the problem).  By 9:30, we were on our way again - returned to Savannah to pick up a package at the Westin and then off to Beaufort, the third oldest town in SC.  We stayed on anchor an extra day to plan the next month's travels.  We plan to be in Annapolis May 23-31.  That should be a good time for visitors.

Charleston was very cool - you felt like you were in a pre-revolutionary town, without the pretense of just being touristy.  In some sections there were blocks of houses and bldgs from the early - mid 1700's that were occupied, not just museum pieces.  The house would typically have 3 stories with 2 story porches on the side and sometimes a beautiful garden to overlook - but we were told that in colonial times the gardens were actually working gardens, with fruits and vegetables.  We did visit the Nathaniel Russell house, built by a wealthy merchant in 1760 - in was spectacularly refurbished with authentic detail - Russell was one rich dude - and guess how he made his money - yes, his merchandise included human beings.