Category: General Post

Rita has returned from her upgrades. After leaving Marine Propulsion in Rockville on Monday we headed up the Bohicket Creek to the Bohicket Marina. Bohicket is known for some strong currents at times but we arrived at slack tide so maneuvering wasn’t so bad, especially since I got to use my newly installed bow thruster.  I think I will like this new addition to Rita.  This is a great marina to spend a couple of days and relax, but we only stayed one night because we knew we had some bad weather on the way on wanted to get back to Charleston before it got here. After a great lunch at Red’s Ice House on Tuesday, we pulled away from the dock and headed home to Charleston. First Mate Connie got to spend some time at the helm on this trip and did exceptionally well being it was her first time. It was a fairly cool day and the winds were really blowing from the NE. There was more traffic on the ICW and around Charleston than I thought there would be. We even come across Capt. George operating the Sea Tow boat as we cleared Elliott’s Cut. Today the winds were out of the NE at 15-20 mph, making this the strongest I have encountered while docking Rita.  Again, the new bow thruster made it much easier getting Rita into her slip. As for the rest of Rita’s upgrades, all went well with only a few more adjustments to be made on my DC system and inverter. We haven’t planned Rita’s next adventure but I can tell you she won’t spend all summer at the dock. Check back soon.

One of many things I have learned while owning a boat is that plans always seem to change. I had stated in earlier blogs that we were planning to take the Margarita Daze (aka… Rita) to the Abaco islands for a couple of months this summer. Well after much consideration we have decided to postpone that trip for at least a year. Rita needs a few upgrades before making such an extended cruise, like bow thrusters to assist the Captain in certain docking conditions, DC upgrades including an Inverter and deep cycle batteries so we can stay on the hook without running the genny all night and a few minor changes and repairs. Even though the first mate is “game on” in her duties the Captain feels he could use a little more time at the controls and electronics before making this voyage. So for the time being we will spend this season cruising the eastern shores of SC, NC and Ga. With the help of houseboat Captain Mike filling in as my first mate, we took a 3-1/2 hour  Cruise down the ICW and delivered Rita to the hard in Rockville, S.C. where she will spend the next few weeks receiving her upgrades and repairs. We are still planning a 2 week trip to the Abaco islands this summer but will fly in and rent a small boat to island hop. Check back soon for more updates.

We have completed another adventure aboard Margarita Daze. Our last trip took us south from Charleston to Beaufort so this time we headed north to Georgetown. I checked the weather for the weekend and it seemed very favorable for our first off shore run. Friday we had waves 1 to 3 ft and winds from the north at 5 to 10 mph. The day was partly cloudy and temps in the high 70’s which was a little cool for the run but we enjoyed it. Once we left Charleston Harbor we set the autopilot and ran the next 4 hours about 3 to 3-1/2 miles off the coast. Since this was our first trip off shore we wanted to stay within sight of the coast and in cell phone range. This was much more relaxing than our last trip down the ICW because this time we just sat back and kept a lookout for hazards and let the boat drive itself. Everything was great until we came off autopilot entering Winyha Bay and realized we had lost our steering on the flybridge. After moving the wheel right and left a few times the steering returned but was not operating normally. Once inside the bay I returned to autopilot and had no trouble until we arrived at the marina where I used the transmissions and throttles to control the boat.

We enjoyed eating, drinking and shopping in the historic town of Georgetown. The food was excellent and so were the people. We look forward to returning here again for a longer stay next fall. The weather for our return trip on Sunday was calling for waves at 2 to 4 ft and winds 10 to 15 from the north changing to SE in the afternoon. We waited till 10:30AM before leaving because we needed to arrive a couple of hours after low tide to enter our marina in Charleston. On our way out I checked our steering from the flybridge, Nothing! I went to the lower helm and checked steering there and all was OK. We decided to go as planned and return to Charleston via our offshore route and realized when we departed the inlet the waves were at least 4 to 5 ft. We had an uncomfortable ride back to Charleston but nothing that the autopilot and stabilizers couldn’t handle. We have really gotten a lot of experience in the last 2 trips, which will be a big help when we head to the Abaco’s next spring. Our next adventure will give us experience on the hook not far from home.

We logged our first local trip aboard Rita Traveling to Beaufort, S.C. via the ICW. I planned both legs of the trip on a rising tide hoping to avoid quite a few shallow areas along the ICW. We have a draft of around 5’ and scraped by a few places along the way. The area between Beaufort and Charleston has quite a few twists and turns so you have to really pay attention to your plotter. Rita creates a pretty good wake so running the ditch was slow going averaging around 9 knots. 6 hours after leaving Charleston we arrived in Beaufort on a slack tide so we only had to deal with slight wind and very little current. Our friends David and Laurie joined us for this weekend trip and we really enjoyed our time in Beaufort. This town has a beautiful river front park with nice restaurants nearby serving excellent food and drink. After dinner on Friday night we enjoyed sitting in the porch swings along the river and taking in the beautiful night along the river. Traveling on Friday and Sunday only gave us one day to enjoy this historical town which was not nearly enough time. We will return for an extended stay and see the town from the seat of a horse drawn carriage. We hope to get in one more short trip to maybe Georgetown or Hilton Head before winter sets in.

Well, training is complete and the Capt. and Crew made our first solo trip aboard the MargaRita Daze. We originally planned on a short cruise around the Charleston Harbor but it was such a nice day we decided on a short trip into the Atlantic. The sea was gentle with 3-4 ft swells about 100 yds apart which made for a nice ride, but not so good sitting still and taking them on the beam. After an hour of cruising the coast we made our way back to the harbor for a ride around Patriot’s Point and the Battery. We returned to the Marina, fired up the blender, and enjoyed our first frozen Margaritas aboard our boat. Life is good. Now the countdown begins. After some local trips we plan to leave Charleston next June for a 2 month adventure in the Abaco’s. Stay tuned !

Well we are settled in at Ripley Light and love it. Sunny and 70 today so it was time to wash the salt off the boat and do a little cleaning inside and out. We have a lot of little projects to accomplish but try to do a few each day so we don’t spend all our time working and not relaxing. I have included a few pics of marina life included a little puppy time.

Time to do a little maintenance and get The ” Margarita Daze” ready for some ocean time. She is a great boat but her previous owners didn’t use her to her capabilities. She was designed to spend some time traveling not tied down to a marina slip. We plan to spend weekends making some short runs around the Charleston SC area and maybe a couple of weeks this summer going to Georgia. Before we head out  she needs some bottom paint, seals replaced and stabilizers serviced. We are servicing basically every system on the boat along with a full engine service and tune up. Next week we will get her in the water and make a 2 to 3 hour trip up the ICW to a slip in Charleston. This will give us a good chance to check out all the systems and make sure everything is working properly.

Well, we have purchased our new boat. She is “Margarita Daze” a 50′ Viking Motor Yacht yearning for the warm waters of the Bahamas. Follow us as we put her through sea trials off the South Carolina Coast. We will spend this summer getting to know her a little better and preparing for an extended cruise in the Bahamas in 2013. Enjoy life now, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.