July 21, 2014 Wassaw Island

Wild Goose

Our daughter, Jenny, asked to take her family out for her first trip aboard Elixir, so we planned a two night excursion to Wassaw Island, a Federal Wildlife Preserve nearby.

We arrived a few days early to ready the boat and while we were making preparations, our friends, Jim and Ann, arrived at our marina aboard Wild Goose, a 43 foot Defever.

As luck would have it, there was an empty slip next to ours and so we got to be neighbors for a few days!

Jim fixes the bimini

Jim and Ann are great people and fun to be with.  Unfortunately for Jim, he is very knowledgeable on Defevers and their systems and as you know, Elixir has a lot of projects needing to be fixed.  Every time we meet up with Jim and Ann, he jumps in and solves some problem onboard Elixir.  Sometimes I feel like I am taking advantage of his time, but Jim is always volunteering none-the-less and I am always thankful for his help!

The Crew arrives

This time Jim solved a problem with Elixir's bimini where everytime the winds blew, some of the support posts came loose.  Jim fixed them so they will not come apart in the future.  He also installed new straps on the front that were much nicer than the ones I had on there!  Finally, he got the Generator's water pump unbolted from its mount (it was rusted on) so that I can tighten the belt in my ongoing project to get the Generator working.

We took Jim and Ann to Your Pie, a local pizzeria that lets each person make a personal pizza exactly how they like it, with lots of toppings to choose from.  They enjoyed it and went back for lunch the next day.  With as much as Jim and Ann have shown us, it was nice to introduce them to something!

Watching for dolphins

Wild Goose pulled out Monday morning, and a few hours later, our crew arrived.  Tori and Maddie were on point with Daryle right behind.  Jenny brought up the rear.  They loaded their provisions on board and we got underway.

Tori, having gone on the previous trip to Brunswick where everything went wrong, was an old pro.  However, it was everyone else's first cruise, so she was showing them the ropes.

Its a monster fish !!

We were hoping to see dolphins so Maddie could watch them ride the bow wave, but in the hour long trip over to Wassaw Island, we did not see one.  It could have been because a storm was blowing in and the water was a bit choppy.

We dropped anchor off Wassaw Island, which is a nature preserve that can only be reached by boat.  Daryle decided to show the girls how to fish, but not much was biting.

We spent the first night relaxing on the boat and letting everyone settle in.  The fun was set to start the following day!

Private Beach!

The next morning, us old folks took the kids to the beach while the grown-ups slept in.  One of the great things about having a boat is that you can go places where cars can't get to.  Wassaw Island is one of those places.  With about 11 miles of beach, you can often enjoy it without seeing another person.  No crowds here!

The kids played in the ocean and walked the beach searching for shells and sand dollars.  They found quite a few of both.

Rescue in progress

After a few hours, we returned to Elixir to discover the rest of the crew was up and about.  After lunch, it was over the side for some swimming off the boat.  The kids and Daryle took turns jumping off the flybridge and then climbing on to the swim platform to do it again.

Jenny tried to relax in the inflatable raft but somehow (or someone) the raft became unattached from Elixir and she was carried away by the swift current.  The kids mounted a rescue party and went to save her!

Family photo

Later in the afternoon, we all went back to the beach.  At high tide the beach is only about 10 feet wide so we like to go at low tide when it is about 200 feet wide.  As you can see by the dinghy, we arrived before low tide and had to drag the dinghy back to the water when it was time to leave.

As night fell, we had to leave as no one is allowed on the island after dark.

We ate dinner and and relaxed while everyone recounted the fun we had that day!

The next morning we weighed anchor and headed for home.

At last, the dolphins showed up and rode the bow wave.  The kids clapped and encouraged them on.  Its a treat not many kids get to enjoy, so I am always glad when they get to on board Elixir!

As we pulled into the marina and off-loaded our gear, everyone was sad to end the trip.  But hopefully the kids will have some great memories!