July 12—Wrightsville Beach, NC to North Myrtle Beach, SC

It is amazing to us that the days are already so much shorter.  While in New York, just two weeks ago, the sun was up by 5:15, and now only a few days later and few miles farther south, it is barely up by 6:00.  We waited until 5:30 and could see the outline of the channel markers on the dark water before pulling up anchor in Wrightsville Beach.  A few of the clouds lingered from the night before, but the sun finally broke through. 

The evening before we had noticed some foods in the top of the freezer were beginning to thaw, and Dennis tinkered with the unit enough to get it cooling, but thought it probably needed Freon.  Once underway, he called Barefoot Marina where we were planning to dock in Myrtle Beach to see if they had a refrigeration mechanic.  They did, and he was willing to come out at 3:00 when we arrived.  Without any bridge delays, and some current helping us along, we actually docked at 2:15, giving us an afternoon to enjoy the air conditioning, work on the boat, or go exploring.  We made our choices, Dennis needed to clean the boat, and wait for the mechanic, while I needed to explore the boardwalk shops and head for the beach.  In the heat it was a little too far to walk, so my bike provided my transportation.  It was fun to see families on vacation, enjoying shopping at the touristy Myrtle Beach stores, and even more fun to see them enjoying the beach. No denying it, people just love the beach, and I’m right out there with them, bending down looking for that evasive shell, pushing my toes into the warm sand, wading in the shallow water, deeply breathing in the salty air, calmed, comforted and even cheered by the whooshing water.  Revitalized I showered off the sand, and turned my bike boatward at 6:45.  Dennis, bless his heart, had the boat sparkling, the freezer freezing and the dinner simmering.  Bless his little heart. 

Getting up and out early definitely has its benefits!   

About Navigation: 

Mostly having sailed inland waters, and small inland waters at that, shifting through and learning how to use the myriad of available navigation tools has been like taking a college level course without an instructor.  Luckily Dennis has some experience with navigation in open water on charters, but for me it was a whole new medium. Each day after our regular post we will be sharing one of the tools we are learning to use to help us find our way.  Although just beginners, we thought ours would be a good perspective for anyone getting started with cruising. Thanks to all who gave us advice on these navigation tools.  By the way, many can be purchased at significant discounts at any of the boat shows, but wait until you’re ready to cruise in order to get the latest updated versions.   

Paper Charts:  To begin our library we chose to buy paper charts/maps, specifically Maptech Chartkits, which are reproductions of the latest editions of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAH) charts. They are divided into regions giving the GPS lat/long waypoints, magenta tracks between waypoints, bridges table, channel markers, depths, and destination highlights.  These charts are what we use to figure out where we’re going, how we’re going, how long it will take us, and the best route to get there.  Many times they are in the cockpit as we travel so we can reference them when we’re uncertain.