Dolphins, German Shephard, Birds, and Flies

motorcycle adventures 3 Minutes

Stan and I have now cruised over 750 Miles up the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and the trip continues to be an adventure of a lifetime as well as a test of Stan’s and my endurance.  Not with each other but with the level of concentration and diligence needed to travel close to 100 Nautical Miles a day.  At least that is my perspective, Stan’s may differ.

Wakely’s average speed each day is approximately 15 knots (17 Miles per hour) and at 100 nautical miles per day, our usual travel day is 6.5 to 7 hours.  Over the past four days, Stan and I have traveled from Fernandina, FL to Southport NC.  As I write this post, we are docked at St. James Plantation in Southport, NC.

Fernandina to Southport NC

Along the way, we have had the company of dolphins, pelicans, german shepherds, and laughing gulls.

Dolphin

OK, we have not seen this happen, YET.   But, it does not mean that this has not happened.  We have seen hundreds of dolphins breaching the surface all around us.  Maybe we just missed it. And, maybe, one or two did play in Wakely’s wake.

In Charleston,  we stayed at the Charleston City Marina, where we met Major.  For all you dog boaters, Major was the most comfortable dog I have ever seen on a boat.  He literally walked down the dock with Austin, his owner, and anybody who said hello was blessed with a visit.

z4Qha6%LRYGbv2ACj5LDCQ
Austin, a Charleston City Firefighter and his dog Major, a 3 1/2-year-old German Shepherd – Who Stan and I immediately took a liking to as Major was so happy and focused on everything
OPNmuHBMTEmIixeHHqnSlA
Not a thing happened in the Marina that Major was not aware of.
YxW5Rr9wQpaIZdBBWINjAQ
So, how could we not invite Major to come aboard for a visit?  Wakely’s first, but not last, dog aboard.

On our cruise from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, we were greeted by Laughing Gulls.  Their “laughter” caught our attention and Stan snapped pictures of 100’s of Laughing Gulls, well, Laughing.   But, also eating the food that we stirred up in Wakely’s wake.

Laughing Gulls
The Laughing Gull feeds on the water. It swoops down to the water and skims the surface for food.  They were all around us.
Gulls
But, I got the strangest feeling they were laughing at us??

On the other side of the equation…Stan and I had just entered Georgia and we were traveling up the Mackay River with all the windows open enjoying the warm breeze and beautiful views of the marsh.  When, all of a sudden, we were attacked by Black Flies.  Hundreds of them.

Even though we slammed the windows and doors, we were overwhelmed and totally on the defensive.  We could not concentrate on anything other than killing the $%^%% things.  They were slow, so Stan was able to kill dozens, and as he needed to work fast, he just dropped them on the floor of the salon (we missed the picture).  As the flies started getting rough, Wakely was lost (yes, we kissed the bottom). But, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, Wakely could have been REALLY lost.

Black Fly
These  $%^%% things are really bad
Black Fly Eating
And. if they are not ugly enough, they are also $#%$$holes.  (We are so sorry we missed the picture of dozens dead on the salon floor.

But, as you now know we survived and are happily in Southport, NC at the St James Plantation Marina.  A nice quiet marina on the ICW.  Did I mention that the winds are howling out of the East at 25 with gusts to 40?  So happy to be nice and cozy at the Marina and on Wakely.

The next few days include:

  • Saturday, May 9th Southport, NC to Beaufort, NC
  • Sunday, May 10th Beaufort to Coinjock, NC
  • Monday, May 11 Coinjock to Solomon’s Island, MD
  • Tuesday, May 12 Solomon’s Island to Annapolis, MD

Thanks for reading this blog and keep cruising.

 

Unknown's avatar

Published by Paul Kramer

Paul Kramer’s award-winning and distinguished career is characterized by a long track record of building high-performance sales and marketing communication organizations. He brings a high-energy, enthusiastic approach to marketing that is contagious and produces results. His expertise is a unique blend of creativity, technical marketing analysis, and a keen business sense for strategic positioning. He has worked with some of the world's greatest communication companies, including Grey Advertising, Bates Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, D.L. Ryan Companies and Epsilon. He is skilled in all areas of marketing from both the agency and client side of the business. He is especially strong in strategic planning, global marketing, national brand & account management, marketing communications, licensing and business development. In addition, he has a solid thirty plus year management foundation with accomplishments in P&L management, intellectual property, forming and maintaining strategic alliances and building business. Mr. Kramer has documented successes in companies from $10 Million to $100 Million in size, with industries ranging from automotive, restaurant to consumer packaged goods and durable goods. He brings an unusually strong multi-product, multi-market background. The beneficiaries of his marketing acumen include Johnson & Johnson, M&M Mars, Cadbury, Toyota, The Stanley Works, Timex, Wal*Mart, Alcoa, Novartis and more. Mr. Kramer has received awards for his career accomplishments, including a Promotional Marketing Association Reggie for Global Marketing and a Promotional Marketing Association Reggie for Account Specific Marketing. Mr. Kramer is married to Catherine and has two beautiful daughters, Emma and Sarah, and his hobbies include tennis, motorcycling, and boating.

Published

One thought on “Dolphins, German Shephard, Birds, and Flies”

Leave a comment