Sailing Kianda: Well Butter my Butt and Call Me a Biscuit! We're in the South!

Arriving in Virginia marked the beginning of our time in «the South» and the signs are only getting more accentuated as we move deeper South. I don't mean the USA's geographical south, but rather the Southern States where there's a very pleasant shift in the way of things. Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia are the ones we'll be visiting. In these parts, the pace of life slows down a few notches and there's just no rush. Dave says with a smile «This is my pace!» The people are welcoming, friendly and well mannered. Momma raised them to mind their 'Ps and Qs' and 'Yes ma'am' and 'No sir'! Southern hospitality and Southern charm, not to mention the Southern home cooking, are well known phrases for a reason.

Here are a few of the top signs that we're in the South:

-Most obvious, along with the Southern drawl, is people saying « Y'all ».

-Tea is either iced tea or sweet tea. If I want a cup of tea, I have to ask for 'hot tea'.

-Gator ribs are on the menu and you will literally get a plate of alligator ribs if you order it (which Dave did).

-A proper breakfast includes grits, something fried, a buttermilk biscuit or Texas toast, maybe hushpuppies, a hot cake, and custard for your fruit. You might gain weight just by reading the menu. I asked a friend from Virginia "How do you eat like this all the time?!" to which she responded "Oh we don't. Only on the weekend!"

-Fried chicken! Southerners are the masters of frying food. My fried fish and grits breakfast was one for the record book. «Y'all ready to order?» to which I say: « Darn tootin!»

-People sitting on their porch is a very common sight. We've actually walked up porch steps to chat with porch-sitters. Conversations between neighbours are sometimes shouted from across the street so that no one has to move from their porch. Note to self: include porch-sitting time in our daily life when we get back.

-Another sure sign we're in the South is when a complete stranger calls us Darlin', Sugar, or Honey. The Canadian grocery store workers do not address me as Sweet Pea as far as I can recall.

When it comes to the nature of things on land and sea, our new daily sightings are:

-Dolphins!

-Pelicans.

-Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

-The majestic Live Oak trees.

-Shrimping boats.

-People crabbing.

-Severe shoaling on the ICW. When a heron stands next to a channel marker with water to its knees, you know it ain't deep!

Beaufort, NC

Once arrived in Beaufort, North Carolina, we anchored on Taylor Creek. Space for anchoring is limited here due to the many mooring balls but we found a spot. There are a number of derelict boats on moorings but I'm not sure what, if anything, the city can do about this. Charleston has the same problem though they're working to clean up their harbour. These boats are real eyesores plus they take up valuable space, but on the other side of the coin, they sometimes are lived on by people who would otherwise be homeless. Oftentimes they end up sinking during storms which causes hazards to navigation and ruins anchoring prospects.

There was rain in the forecast for late afternoon, and it was late afternoon, but we judged that we had the time if we hurried, to dinghy to Carrot Island for a quick exploration of the Rachel Carson Reserve and perhaps see some of the resident wild horses. The map I looked at online showed a line marked "boardwalk" but once we arrived, we could see that the boardwalk is just wherever there are no trees. All is very clean and pristine here - as nature should be. What helps this place remain so natural is the fact that the only access is by boat, so it doesn't see too much traffic.

It was evident that the horses were around: we saw hoof prints in the mud and piles of manure all over the "boardwalk". I guess they weren't expecting company! We even heard a whinny from the bushes but they remained elusive; we couldn't spot them.

We walked along the beautiful beach (on my list of favourite things: a beach with no one on it!) and then we took a shortcut back through a muddy marsh. That's when they came into sight - a group of horses hanging out by the water's edge. They weren't too concerned by our presence as long as we remained at the recommended 'bus-length' distance. They stared at us for a while and then went back to horsing around. Distance-wise, my comfort zone is actually smaller than theirs. As I was hunched behind a bush watching a horse graze, Dave (from much farther back) motioned to me that more were coming my way. The thought of startling them made me the nervous Nellie and I nearly galloped out of there myself.

That night the rain came down in buckets and the wind howled like a freight train. The sounds kept us awake for part of the night, plus in that kind of weather we compulsively feel the need to look out the companionway to keep an eye on things. Are we dragging? And just as importantly, is anyone nearby us dragging? Around 3am Dave went up on deck to check on our anchor and bridle buck naked because, as he says, why get your clothes wet? Quite funny the things that become normal out here. Our boat stayed well put throughout the blow. At times like these we're really happy we bought the oversized anchor and chain!

Beaufort got 77mm of rainfall that night. We awoke to Peli (our Pelican dinghy) nearly swamped to the gunnels and the wind shredded our US courtesy flag. One derelict boat dragged from the mooring field past the markers and ended up in the traffic channel.

The day was sunny and we spent it visiting the sights of Beaufort. Side fact: the wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge lies off Beaufort Inlet. We learned all about it at the museum. If you're nerdy about this like we are, get the details at https://www.qaronline.org/history/shipwreck-discovery

Friends of ours had recommended a pub they liked but when that didn't work out for us, we wound up wandering into a restaurant where I had noticed a sign for "peel and eat shrimp at the bar". Admittedly, once in, we weren't sure we'd stay but then everything just started looking up: the bartender was super friendly, there was good $2 beer on special, the food was great and the music was starting up...

You never really know where you'll find your spot; where the good times lie next but we quickly started realizing that this special place was exactly what we needed that night. Our entertainer for the night was Morris Willis (with his wife by his side at the sound board ensuring everything sounded right and generally keeping Morris in check). Morris, who is is a living legend, was nice enough to come over and share some fascinating stories with us. Once on stage he did the: "we have a couple Canadians here with us tonight..." What's cooler than a shout-out from the band!?

It's hard to put into words but we really felt like we belonged there. Everyone was so great. Safe to say we thoroughly enjoyed their company. I've had tunes from Morris' repertoire stuck in my head ever since that night.

We were there for a good time, not a long time. We picked up our anchor the following morning and continued on in the protection of the ICW to avoid strong winds offshore. We're going to have to get further south quickly if we want to keep up with summer. These days can be chilly on the water - especially in the morning and we're finding ourselves bundling up. But back home the first snowfalls are beginning so, no complaints here!