Sunday February 12, 2012 Update

{Betsy}  It is Sunday, February 12, 2012.  Wind speed last night as we doubled up on our lines was about 40 MPH.  The wind chill was about 20 and the high temperature for today was about 40.  So, we are boat-bound and thought it a good time for an update. 

 I guess I should be knocking on wood the whole time I write this because with the exception of that little front that came through last night, things are just going too good to be true!  So this will be a pretty boring update.  Since we bought the Rick ‘n Roll 3 in December 2010, it seems we’ve just had one problem after another….some mishap or something wrong with the boat at every turn.  Many dollars spent that we hadn’t counted on.  From a shakedown cruise that shook the cabinets off the wall and the head off its base to a New Year’s weekend cruise that resulted in a bent prop which led to the discovery of an already bent shaft, we really have not enjoyed this boat much.

In between that shakedown cruise in January 2011 and that New Year’s cruise in December 2011, we did enjoy a few short cruises with the Power Squadron and a nice trip to the Chesapeake in the summer, but at every turn we were pouring money into the boat to try to stop the water that was pouring in through various holes, cracks and fittings.  Just one thing after another.   It was always something.  But still we were making plans all along to eventually spend the majority of our time on the boat once we got her in working order.

Well, that time finally came, and on January 25 we pulled out of the slip we had been renting near our home in Topsail Beach and cruised to Southport with no problems.  In fact, we had only intended to go to Carolina Beach that first day and save the crossing of the Cape Fear for early the next morning, but it was such a beautiful day we decided to see how the mighty river looked that afternoon, and it was smooth as glass.  Great start!

Next stop Myrtle Beach, where we stayed at Barefoot Resort Marina, across the waterway from the shops and restaurants at Barefoot Landing.  Another beautiful day.  The next day a couple knocked on our boat and it was people that remembered us and recognized our boat from the looper rendezvous last spring.  Since seeing our boat at Norfolk last spring, these folks have purchased the larger version, a 44 foot Endeavour, and are full time live-a-boards.  They are from Virginia, but are spending six months in Myrtle Beach.  Since they have their car with them, they transported us out to dinner two nights….it was great fun and so reminiscent of our loop trip.

The Barefort Resort has undergone bankruptcy several times, but the marina has managed to stay in business thanks in large part to their superb harbormaster, Bill Rathbun.  They offer great rates for long term visitors. 

After three nights at Myrtle Beach we travelled on southward to Georgetown, SC, where we stayed at Hazzard Marine, another familiar location.  It was a perfect day for cruising…sunny and smooth.  We walked the short distance to town a couple of times.  This is another very boater friendly town with great restaurants and shops within an easy walk.

We spent two nights at Georgetown, then headed out with Charleston being our next destination.  The first body of water after Georgetown is Winyah Bay, which can get rough.  It is a wide body of water that leads out to the ocean.  We’ve travelled it several times and have always been lucky….we’ve talked to others that have had problems here.  This day was a perfect day for Winyah Bay….not a ripple, smooth as glass!

We’ve stayed in Charleston on a boat twice before, and swore we would never stay there again.  Both of the marinas we’d stayed in before had terrible docking conditions…strong currents, docks way too far from shore for walking the dog, not within walking distance of the historic areas of downtown Charleston.  But this time a different marina had been recommended by friends that live nearby, so we decided we’d try Charleston one more time, rather than staying at Isle of Palms…very expensive, or going on past Charleston and probably missing a visit with these friends.  Their recommendation was Charleston Maritime Center, and it was great.  The docks are inside a basin so the current wasn’t an issue as it had been at the other locations.  And this place is right downtown within walking distance of the city market, carriage rides, and Harris Teeter.  We did rock and roll a lot here, as the ships and tugs go by right in front of the entrance and put out huge wakes.  But the convenience of this location almost makes that worth it.

We had dinner with fellow loopers Jerry and Jenny Reves, with whom we had travelled for several weeks in the Chesapeake last summer before we headed home and they continued on their loop.  Jerry is a native Charlestonian, so it was a real treat for him to take us on a personalized tour, the Jerry tour, of downtown Charleston.  They also were kind enough to give us passes for a carriage tour through the historic district which we thoroughly enjoyed.

After two nights at the Maritime Center we headed out for Beaufort, SC, our southernmost destination and our ultimate goal for this winter.  Our original plan for this winter was to make a beeline down to Beaufort, SC and spend at least a month there before heading back up to home for a couple of weeks, and then on to Norfolk for the looper rendezvous in early May .  But comparing monthly rates at Barefoot in Myrtle Beach to monthly rates at Beaufort, we decided to alter our original plan.  Rick’s idea was to just stay at Barefoot and not go to Beaufort, but we finally agreed that since Beaufort had been our goal all along we would go there, but only for a week instead of a month, and then come back to Myrtle Beach for the remainder of the winter.

The leg from Charleston was the longest day we had on this trip….nearly 65 miles.  But it was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny and warm again, with perfect cruising conditions.  We left Charleston at 8:30 and arrived in Beaufort about 3:30, with me in a tank top and shorts.  It may as well have been summertime here in February!  Again, the boat handled flawlessly.  We’ve decided we are finally getting consolation for the horrible weather we had on our loop trip.

The week in Beaufort was perfect.  What more can I say.  I knock on wood every time I talk about how wonderful this trip has been so far.  I’ve been able to sit on deck and read and relax and enjoy every single moment of every day.  But I really think we’ve earned this little break after all the hassle’s we’ve had over the past year!

Thursday we left Beaufort, SC and travelled the 65 miles back to Charleston.  Dolphins escorted us nearly the whole way.  I really think we saw more dolphin that day than on any other single day in our entire cruising experience.  They were everywhere!  We’ve decided to stay here in Charleston for a week, then head on up.  Weekly rates here are less than Beaufort, SC but not less than Barefoot in Myrtle Beach.  Just to put a point on the rates, a week in Beaufort, SC is $404, a week in Charleston is $290, and a MONTH at Myrtle Beach is $360.

When we arrived in Charleston, the dockmaster told us that two boxes had arrived for us via UPS.  The boxes contained two new helm chairs that we had ordered earlier in the week.  They are much thicker and more comfortable that the ones we had.  This is the first money we had spent on the boat that was just for us, for our comfort, because we wanted them.  We did not have to buy them because anything was wrong with the other ones, we just wanted to buy them for more comfort.  A very good feeling, indeed.

So I told you to begin with that this was going to be a boring update.  But I’m loving every minute of this boring lifestyle!  We are chillin’ here for a week and will be in Myrtle Beach around next weekend.   Later.

The Perfect Day and a little catch-up

Today, January 25, 2012 would have to be described as "The Perfect Day". The day started with us, Rick, Betsy, and Beamer, leaving Harbour Village Marina and going south to Southport, NC. The weather was great, the boat ran flawlessly, there was no water in the bilge, and the Cape Fear River was as smooth as glass. At one point, as we blew out the motors, we were doing 22 mph. We are heading for Beaufort, SC for a spell of rest and relaxation. We have to be back in Norfolk in early May, so this will be a 3-4 month trip. We are no longer CLODS (Cruisers Living On Dirt). As of today, we are long-term cruisers. Perhaps I should digress and let you know how all of this came about.

Back in June, 2011, we decided to vacate our townhouse in Sneads Ferry and live on the boat and in the house in Topsail Beach. The TB house is rented in the summer and sits vacant about 8 months of the year So, if we get tired of the boat, we can go to the house. We plan to lease the Sneads Ferry townhouse. We contacted all the nieces and nephews about taking whatever family furniture and pieces they wanted. They kindly took a few pieces. We held 2 huge yardsales and had an auction in New Bern of the large pieces. We had planned to vacate and be ready to "RV on the water" by Jan 1. That did not happen as the job of cleaning out 40 years of "stuff", painting, cleaning, and repairing took longer. After all, we were moving from 3000 sq ft to 300 sq ft. We finally got the job done and here we are. My shop is now a storage facility and is quite cluttered.

Another problem we had reared its ugly head on New Years Eve day. We decided to take the boat out for a ride to Sneads Ferry, spend the night on it, and come back the next day. We hadn't been anywhere since getting the leak fixed in October. As we cleared the Surf City bridge and a couple of markers, there was a loud clunk and the starboard motor stopped. We had hit something submerged and had no idea what. We could start the motor, but as we put it into gear, there was a clank and the motor stalled. We made it back to Harbour Village on one motor (one of the reasons we insisted on two motors). We hauled the boat and found that one prop was really bent and had to be repaired. In the process of all this, we determined that the shaft was also not right so we had to have a new shaft. All in all, Seventeen Hundred Dollars later, the boat is running perfectly.

So will be on the water and have limited access to mail. So, if anyone wants to get in contact with us, we suggest email or phone. Also, please change our address to PO Box 3374, Topsail Beach, NC 28445.  More when we get to Beaufort, SC.......

A note about residency requirement for long-term cruisers

At every rendezvous, a question arises about residency, voting, taxes, etc with regard to long term cruisers.  Since we recently had our residency challenged, the follow is written to assist others in what to expect. Please note that this was our experience, yours could be worse and different. 

Rick and I recently attended our 5th Great Loop Fall Rendezvous held at Joe Wheeler Park in Rogersville, Alabama. We gave two major talks and loved seeing all our Looper friends. What most people at the Rendezvous did not know was that the day before leaving for that event, we attended a hearing before the Board of Elections in our home county. Our right to vote had been challenged on the grounds that we were not residents of Topsail Beach, a place we have called home for nearly 15 years.


This was the second time in two years that our residency was challenged. The first time actually happened while we were on our loop in 2009. That year, as we traveled down the Western Rivers on our boat, we were clearly not able to go home to the east coast to face the challenge. So we were denied the right to vote in a crucial municipal election. This time, the hearing was held just before the fall Rendezvous and we were more than happy to face our challengers.

It was interesting that while at the Rendezvous, as we waited to hear the decision regarding our own residency, the subject of residency came up several times in discussions. Many attendees will recall the final question and answer session in which transient boaters were wondering aloud what they should do about the residency issue. Rick and I did not respond to those questions, silently knowing that our decision regarding that very subject would come by lunch time the following day. We were confident that we would win the challenge, and that confidence was boosted by the Judge that happened to be at the Rendezvous that did respond to the question, saying that residency is simply a question of where you intend to return when you complete your transient lifestyle.

We think it might be helpful to other boaters to know the details of what happened in our situation. The short version is that we won a unanimous decision by the Board of Elections, upholding our residency status based on several factors including a continuous voting history dating back to 1997 in the Town of Topsail Beach. Other factors cited in the decision included the fact that we pay taxes on numerous vehicles and trailers dating back more than 5 years. Our Federal Income tax returns and bank accounts show Topsail Beach as our home address. The Homeland Security documentation of our boat as well as FCC documentation shows Topsail Beach as our home address.

For those that want more details, read on:

The challenge against us was officially made by a person I barely know and have never had a conversation with. Her evidence was laughable: she never sees my car at my house, she never sees me in local restaurants or at the post office. She says I’m not involved in community activities. She says she has lived at Topsail Beach for 20 years and someone like me who only comes occasionally (according to her) cannot possibly love Topsail the way she does and therefore should not be allowed to vote there. None of those accusations have anything to do with legal residency, but I responded anyway. She must have been surprised to learn that I have been an active affiliate at the local Emma Anderson Chapel my entire life, having served on many committees and having published their directory as a volunteer project twice. She must have been surprised to learn that I had been the Membership Chairman for the local Historical Society for several years. She must have been shocked to hear that I was appointed by the Town Board and served for several years as a member of the Topsail Zoning Board of Adjustments, a position that requires residency status. Rick has served on two Pender County juries in the past 6 years. I supplied supporting documentation for all these things. I never asked for, expected nor received any kind of proclamation for these activities that I did simply as a service to my church and my community, a place that I have loved for over 60 years (at the risk of revealing my age!)

Finally, she said that she only sees me occasionally at town board meetings. From the time I claimed Topsail Beach as my permanent domicile in 1997 until I began extended travel in 2009 I attended virtually every single Commissioner’s Meeting, as well as many Planning Board Meetings and other committee meetings. In the early years I often was the only member of the public there, and over the years I encouraged my friends and neighbors to take a more active role in their community.

After presenting her flimsy evidence, this challenger turned the floor over to her “witness,” a member of our current Board of Commissioners. It became immediately obvious that these two people had been stalking me and my husband for several years. This Commissioner had handfuls of printouts from the blog that we kept while on our 10 month Loop trip, but those printouts showed only selective passages that referred to another home we own in Sneads Ferry. It is true we own a home in Sneads Ferry and that is where we spent a great deal of time because that is where we owned a boat slip in a marina suitable for our boat at that time. By only presenting a couple of pages from the blog myself, I was easily able to counteract these baseless charges and show that we call our home Topsail Beach. Sneads Ferry is just where we keep our boat and where we began and ended our Great Loop trip. I call the charges baseless because this has nothing to do with residency, only with snooping into people’s lives. And I include this so that other Loopers who publish a blog, (which clearly is for members of the boating community, Loopers, Looper Wannabes and friends) be aware that there are lurkers out there that will read your blog for purposes other than simple enjoyment and education.

This Commissioner also had page after page of deeds from properties we own both in Onslow and Pender County, speculating aloud that perhaps the reason we had changed our ownership on some of the deeds was because we had been posturing for the past two years in preparation for another residency challenge (it was he that challenged us in 2009). Absolutely laughable! I guess he’s never heard of “estate planning.” His most ridiculous speculation, which I think borders on being defamation, was when he said perhaps the reason we don’t have a dock in front of our house at Topsail Beach is because that particular property has multiple owners (again, for estate purposes) and perhaps we can’t agree on what kind of dock to put or how much money to spend. My family has owned that piece of property since the 1950s and the subject of putting a dock there has never, ever, ever even been considered. This man simply makes things up to suit his purpose.

When we explained (needlessly because it has nothing to do with residency) that we spend a great deal of time on the larger boat that we purchased in December, this challenger stated that if we really wanted to live at Topsail Beach we could bring that boat here and dock it in front of our house. Clearly he knows nothing about boats that size, and apparently hasn’t stalked us enough to know that the “deep water” (his term) in front of our house is at best 2-3 feet at low tide. His statement that the local commercial fishing boat comes right in front of our house twice a day was equally laughable…..there is a huge sandbar between us and the main channel…of course the overhead photo he showed had been clipped not to show that! When he speculated that we could rent or lease a slip somewhere at Topsail to keep the boat since we say it is too shallow in front of our house, he neglected to realize that we need pumpout, fuel, cable hookup, etc., none of which is available anywhere at Topsail Beach.

But none of that has to do with residency. He did read paragraph after paragraph out of the document “Residency for Election Purposes” that is published by the NC Board of Elections. But again his reading was selective and self serving. I only had to read 2 sentences from that same document: “A person may have an actual abode (residence) in one place, and their permanent established home (domicile) in another. A domicile is the place to which the person intends to return.” After leaving our previous home in Wilson, Rick and I established Topsail Beach as our domicile in 1997 and have never left. There is absolutely NO requirement of a set number of days to establish a domicile.  So after nearly two hours all that these two people had proven is that we do own property other than our residence at Topsail Beach.

The final laugh came when the challengers said we had been preparing ourselves for this challenge for the past two years, since we were challenged in the last municipal election year 2009. We had already presented all the documentation required by the Board, some of which went back as much as 10 years….credit card records, checking accounts, repair bills, vet bills, utility bills, Federal Tax returns, etc. But when Rick pointed out that we paid much more in taxes by being residents of Topsail Beach, thereby paying city as well as county taxes, which we would not have to do if we claimed residency in unincorporated Sneads Ferry, one of the board members asked if it would be OK for him to call the tax office to verify that fact. We said of course, and the phone conversation, heard by all over the speaker phone, showed that we have been paying numerous automobile, trailer and boat taxes in Topsail Beach/Pender County for many years, not just the two years that we’ve supposedly been “posturing” for residency.

This is the third municipal election in a row that this Councilman has tried to manipulate, once by encouraging voter fraud himself (a charge which was neither dismissed nor prosecuted…in other words he received a slap on the wrist), and twice by these intimidating tactics of challenging voter registration. In the last election he was “successful” in removing over 50 people from the roles, many of whom were dead or had moved away and just not gotten around to changing their voter registration, which they can do right up to the day of the election by the way. Removing the departed from the roles is not his job, it is the job of the Board of Elections and generally will simply happen naturally in the long run. It is sad that these people are so insecure in the viability of the candidates they endorse that they have to stoop to this kind of stalking and intimidation.

Thankfully, Rick and I are not so easily intimidated. We rather enjoyed the process.

And so, to my transient boating friends that have taken the time to read this far, if you are in the planning stages for your loop, simply get your ducks in a row as to where you intend to vote prior to leaving on your trip. Check the requirements in your state (each state is different) as to what is required to claim a “domicile for voting purposes.” This will probably include paying property taxes, State as well as Federal Income Taxes using your domicile address, vehicle taxes and registrations, driver’s license, etc. As it happens, Rick and I had moved to and claimed Topsail Beach as our residence long before we had even heard of the Great Loop, but others may need to take this into consideration in their planning process.

Many of our looping friends associate us with Sneads Ferry because that is the place where we kept our loop boat, and it is that place that you Loopers can actually see from your boat as you pass by, whereas our residence at Topsail Beach is on the island, on the other side of the marshes, not on the ICW. We can probably see you from there with binoculars, but you can’t see us nor can you get your boats into that shallow water! If we come out to greet you, it will probably still be from Sneads Ferry.

We are currently preparing the Rick ‘n Roll 3 for more long range cruising beginning shortly, with preliminary plans to be in places between Myrtle Beach and Beaufort, SC, prior to heading back north to see you all in Norfolk for the Spring Rendezvous beginning on May 7. Those that are still counting how many nights we spend at Topsail Beach between now and this time next year will have a tough time keeping track of us! But that has nothing to do with residency!! 

Hurricane Irene Update

Just a note to tell everyone that we have survived Hurricane Irene with very little damage.  Our condo lost a couple of shingles.  The neighborhood is littered with downed limbs and leaves, but all in all, it looks great.  The boat, Rick 'N Roll 3, was tied off to a floating dock in Harbour Village Marina and there is ablsolutely nothing wrong with it.  We tried to get it hauled but were unsuccessful, so we just tied it off.  Luckily, the storm weakend just before it got to us.  Rick 'N Roll 2, still for sale, is on the trailer in the boatyard.  No damage. 

Below are two pictures of our tie-up.  Readers of the blog will note the large "exercise ball" fenders we used while on the loop.  These are exercise balls enclosed in laundry bags to serve as fenders. 

June 17, 2011 Sneads Ferry, NC

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We spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Dowry Creek Marina. The wind was up and not favorable for us to travel across the Pamlico River and up the Neuse River to Adams Creek, so we decided to wait for Tuesday morning to travel. Good call. The waves were less than on foot and travel was quite enjoyable. It was a little hot, but then it is summer.

June 14, 2011. We travel from Dowry Creek Marina to Seagate Marina on Adams creek. This is a small marina, but very quiet and laid back. We were in no rush as we only had to be in Beaufort by Thursday morning.

June 15, 2011. We travel 10 miles from Seagate to Town Creek Marina in Beaufort via Adams creek and Russell Slough. This is a full service boatyard with all types of services. We are here to have the generator fixed, as it has quit genning any power.

June 16, 2011. Mac, the technician from Town Creek came early and quickly diagnosed the generator problem as a faulty capacitor. These are electrical parts that assist in the production of AC current. Removing and testing the capacitor and verifying it to be bad, we called a Northern Lights Generator dealer in Minnesott Beach and confirmed that he had a replacement. Betsy and I used the marina courtesy car to go to Minnesott Beach and purchase the part ($67.50). Mac came back in the afternoon and installed the part and all was sell. Mac is a Yanmar certified tech, so we asked him some questions and he was very helpful.

It was today that Betsy and I decided we had a leak inside the boat. We have always noticed a small amount of water in the starboard sponson, maybe a half-gallon a day. We had always thought the water was from a small leak in the fresh water system. We even uncovered the water tank closet and found it to be bone dry. However, on this day, we had two inches of water from the front of the sponson to the rear. We determined that it was salty seawater, and not fuel. So, we used a shopvac to collect all of the water in three different places and made sure that the sponson was dry. We estimate 10 gallons. We waited and watched, and sure enough, we began to see wet spots in the sponson.

June 17, 2011. We call ahead to Swan Point Marina in Sneads Ferry and verify that if we get there by the end of the day, they can lift us out of the water and put us on the hard to look for the leak. We depart Beaufort and make the 10:00 opening of the Beaufort Bridge and the 2:00 opening of the Onslow beach bridge. We arrived at Swan Point and were lifted out of the water. We authorized a power wash of the bottom, replacement zincs, and some hull cleaning. All of this in addition to finding the leak. Over the next 10 days, we will get all of this done in time to leave the end of June to go to Southport for the annual 4th of July Festival with the Cape Fear Power Squadron. So, there will probably not be any new news until at least July 1.

Overall, the six week cruise to the Chesapeake bay was a great success. We made the AGLCA rendezvous where we presented two lectures to the membership. We travelled to some very nice and interesting places and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent there. Our shakedown cruise shook down some problems (generator, leak, etc). Nothing that a trip to the ATM could not fix. Later.