While putting the Carolina Traveler together, Mike and I get to go places most people simply don’t have access to, much less be able to go if they wanted to. Many of these destinations are off the beaten path and sometimes hard to get to.

We’ve taken many a back road, walked miles though the back woods, hiked up hundreds of flights of stairs and my not so favorite, boated out miles into the ocean. We just got back from spending an eight-hour day riding the choppy waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

I have nothing against the water. It is one of my favorite places to be. I’ve been out fishing many times. But every so often, a story takes the CT crew out to the ocean. Not just off the shore but out, way out, into the Atlantic. Way, way out to the places where the calming sounds of the ocean turn into the high seas. The high seas with monstrous swells, the kind that bounce up and down, up and down, up and down.

My first battle with the mighty Atlantic came a few years back when the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources dumped some old New York City subway cars about twenty miles off the Charleston coast. The idea was to create an artificial reef for the aquatic life.

Many of our stories taken unexpected twists and turns and this one decided to follow suit about an hour into the ride out. Except the only thing twisting and turning was my stomach. The choppy waves combined with the 95-degree heat and 95 percent humidity, plus watching this thru my camera lens put me at a distinct disadvantage. I put up a valiant fight, but with pulling into shore hours away, the Atlantic proved to mighty. I lost my first battle out at sea, as well as my breakfast. The only thing I didn’t lose out there was my courage as I sucked it up and took the pictures for the story the best I could.

Just a few months ago, the “Tall Ships” came to the Beaufort, NC. You’ll be able to see them in a few weeks on our all-new Carolina Traveler shows. Well, to get you the pictures of the tall ships sailing the ocean, we naturally had to follow them out to the ocean.

No, we didn’t just shoot them in the calm waters of the Beaufort Harbor. We had our own media boat that took us out. Way out again. Out once more where the high winds and swells of the waves help the boat bounce up and down, up and down, up and down.

Our ship set out for a three-hour tour. No, the weather didn’t start getting rough in another 90-plus scorcher, but our tiny ship did get tossed. And despite the courage of our fearless crew, once again my breakfast was lost. There’s nothing more miserable than getting sea sick, knowing you’re stuck on a boat for hours and still have to find a way to put a camera back on you shoulder and do your job.

Now we fast-forward to the present, where Mike and I set out with an archeological crew that is digging up what they think is the ship of the famous Pirate Blackbeard off the North Carolina Coast.

The “Queen Ann’s Revenge” was wrecked by Blackbeard himself all the way back in 1718. We were with the excavation crew as the dove down to the bottom of the ocean and discovered artifacts ranging from cannons from a pirate ship to 18th century English antiques. Yes, you’ll be able to see all this in a few weeks on our new CT shows.

But what you won’t see is the eight hours I spent out on the ocean. As luck would have it, there was no 90-degree weather this time. Instead, record lows with high winds provided the backdrop. The high winds that help a boat anchored to the ocean for eight hours bounce up and down, up….you get the point.

Maybe I was able to summon up the courage from the ghost of Blackbeard himself. Or maybe it was the Dramamine Mike gave me, but this time I stood tall against the Atlantic. For eight hours I watched the horizon bounce, but my stomach would not be swayed this time. This time I would make it to the finish. There would be no upset stomach. Instead, there was a hearty appetite to enjoy a meal on the company dime.

So be on the lookout for our stories on the Blackbeard’s ship the “Queen Ann’s Revenge” and for our story on the tall ships. The pictures look great and Mike always makes the stories fun to watch. But while you’re enjoying them and thinking “Wow, what a cool job they have,” just remember the parts of the journey you didn’t get to see. But I guess someone bent over the side of a boat doesn’t make good television, even if it will be in high-definition.
Well, I’m off to put the finishing touches on these stories. And I have to figure out how to hide the Dramamine bill on my expense report.

See you Saturdays at 7:30 pm.

Andy Benton
Carolina Traveler Sidekick