We stayed in Lucaya for four nights and then had a good weather window to move further southeast. We left Lucaya on Tuesday morning around 10 AM. We were heading for Royal Island which is 120 miles away at the northwestern tip of Eleuthera Island. We knew that there was going to be a strong cold front coming thru on Christmas day and we wanted all around protection. There is an anchorage on the south side of Royal Island with a small inlet to get in which gives good protection. On the sail over we had mostly light winds which kept the seas down to 2-3 feet. We were in the lee of Grand Bahama Island and then Great Abaco Island which blocked the north Atlantic swell. There was an area of about 25 miles where we had no protection from the swell and we saw an average of a six foot swell with an occasional ten footer with a period of about 10 seconds. There really wasn't much wind driven waves so the ride was pretty comfortable.
We arrived Wednesday morning around 8 AM and settled into the anchorage. Once getting the hook down we took some naps to catch up on the sleep we missed during the night. There were two other sailboats in the anchorage when we arrived and later that day four trawlers came in.
Watching the weather further it appeared that the cold front was really going to be worse than first predicted so we moved to a slip at Spanish Wells which is a settlement (town) just seven miles to the east of Royal Island. Spanish Wells is on St. Georges Cay. The population here is a little different than other islands in the Bahamas. They are decendents of some British and American loyalists from around the revolutionary time period. There accent is different from the rest of the Bahamian people also. Most of the money on the island comes from lobster fishing. This is where Red Lobster gets all of it's lobsters.
They celebrate Christmas in a similar manner that we do the Fourth of July. There were games and races for the kids in the park and fireworks being shot off everywhere. We went to a fireworks show on the beach at the western end of the island at midnight. Very different custom than what we are accustomed too.
We will be here through the cold front and hopefully be moving south to the northern Exumas sometime mid next week. We won't have very good internet access from here on so postings may be sparse. Merry Christmas to all.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Bahamas!!
Just a quick post to let y'all know we made it to the Bahamas. We Left Vero Beach on Wednesday with 30 degree temperatures and went down the ICW to Jensen Beach. On Thursday we continued down the ICW and went right out the Lake Worth inlet at 4:40 PM. The winds were initially higher than forecast and the seas were somewhat choppy with 3-4 foot seas. Once we got out about 10 miles the seas calmed down and so did the wind. We had a south wind about 8-12 all night and seas were 1-2 with swells and no real chop. The gulf stream was pleasantly pleasantly smooth and it was an east crossing.
We pulled into the Grand Bahama Yacht Club in Lucaya, Grand Bahama about 10:00 AM so it was a 24 hour run. We refueled and checked in with immigration and customs which took about an hour.
Now it is time for a nap. I will post more with photos as we continue down the Bahamas island chain.
We pulled into the Grand Bahama Yacht Club in Lucaya, Grand Bahama about 10:00 AM so it was a 24 hour run. We refueled and checked in with immigration and customs which took about an hour.
Now it is time for a nap. I will post more with photos as we continue down the Bahamas island chain.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Clewie Clip!
Hi all! Things have been going pretty good since I last checked in. You probably read that we had company aboard. I really like it when new people come aboard. I am so cute and a novelty to them that they love to play with me. I know that has worn off my people. Although they do still play with me but not as much as I would like.
We had three days of that noisy motor thing again. I guess I am getting somewhat used to it but I still stay up in the forward bed to get away from it. Now we are someplace where they don't have to make the noise and I really like that.
I was just hanging out and I had this funny feeling that I was being watched. I looked around and to my dreaded surprise there was another one of my kind looking down from the stairway.
My people were saying something about Tiger being our neighbor and I should be nice to him. Well, I will be nice as long as he quits staring at me and doesn't come inside to eat my food. A girl has to have her privacy you know. Now I have to keep looking around to see if I am being watched. I keep looking up in every room I am in. I just never know when he might be up looking in through the hatches or companionway. I think I am ready to move already. Oh, maybe we can be friends!
Well, that's all for now, bye.
We had three days of that noisy motor thing again. I guess I am getting somewhat used to it but I still stay up in the forward bed to get away from it. Now we are someplace where they don't have to make the noise and I really like that.
I was just hanging out and I had this funny feeling that I was being watched. I looked around and to my dreaded surprise there was another one of my kind looking down from the stairway.
My people were saying something about Tiger being our neighbor and I should be nice to him. Well, I will be nice as long as he quits staring at me and doesn't come inside to eat my food. A girl has to have her privacy you know. Now I have to keep looking around to see if I am being watched. I keep looking up in every room I am in. I just never know when he might be up looking in through the hatches or companionway. I think I am ready to move already. Oh, maybe we can be friends!
Well, that's all for now, bye.
St. Augustine to Vero Beach
We left St. Augustine on Monday morning. My brother Dave left the boat for the Jacksonville airport around 6:00 AM and we left the slip at 6:50 AM. We wanted to make Vero in three days on the ICW and the total distance is 174 miles. We had really good current with us heading south. We were making 8.4 knots for the first couple of hours and then started slowing as the current slowed. We were around 6.8 knots most of the rest of the day. There were only a few other boats heading south at that time.
We were behind a boat named Bamboushay that all of a sudden turned sideways in the channel. Sandy was at the helm and immediately went to reverse to stop our forward movement because she thought for sure they had hit bottom, and sure enough they did. There draft is one foot deeper than ours so we didn't have any problem with that area, also we stayed to the green side of the channel which was recommended for that area. Bamboushay was able to back off and get going again.
About 3:15 PM we had the anchor down in Rockhouse Creek which is just north of New Smyrna Beach and just inside the Ponce De Leon inlet. There was a smaller sailboat that had beach during low tide next to the anchorage. I figured they did it on purpose to clean the bottom. The boat was about 25 feet. When high tide came in around 8:00 PM they moved out to deeper water and anchored.
On Tuesday morning we started off at 6:55 AM. There is a bridge that was 3 miles away that opens on the 20 minutes starting on the hour and we wanted to make the 7:20 opening. We made it there with several minutes to spare but they were doing maintenance on the gates that stop road traffic and didn't get the bridge open until 7:50. So much for timing. We had good current this day also although we were not going as fast. We made our second anchorage of Cocoa around 2:50 PM. The weather had continued to be good with the sun shining and temperatures around 75.
On Wednesday we again left just before 7:00 AM and had no problems making the third leg to Vero Beach. We arrived around 2:20 and went into the fuel dock to get a holding tank pump out. While at the dock we got our mooring assignment. We were to go to mooring ball 28 and raft up with a boat named Chanticleer. The mooring field was very crowded with most moorings having either two or three boats on them. Vero is the place to be for a cruisers Thanksgiving get together.
We were looking for our mooring and the boat named Chanticleer. We had to zig-zag between other boats and came to the area where we thought we needed to be. Low and behold there was a Chanticleer boat on our starboard and another one on our port. This could only happen to us. We couldn't see the number on the mooring ball from where we were so we had to pull forward of the two boats to see that we wanted the Chanticleer on our port. We hailed the boat and the couple on it helped us raft up to them. We then talked for about an hour with them and found out they are from Texas also. From the Houston area. They are also heading for the Bahamas and them plan on doing the thorny path south to the eastern Caribbean.
When we came in to the mooring field we saw that the boats Destiny and Song of Pogo were here also. We had been in several anchorages and marinas with them since North Carolina and were offshore with Destiny for 30 hours. We had gotten together with them, Jimmie and Bess and Otis and Marty for dinner in St. Augustine. Our cruising plans are all similiar so I'm sure we will see them in the Bahamas too.
We plan to stay here for a week or so to do our major provisioning and we are still waiting for the pet import papers to arrive from the Bahamas. Once all that is done we only have to head down to north Lake Worth and wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and over to the Bahamas. I will keep y'all informed.
We were behind a boat named Bamboushay that all of a sudden turned sideways in the channel. Sandy was at the helm and immediately went to reverse to stop our forward movement because she thought for sure they had hit bottom, and sure enough they did. There draft is one foot deeper than ours so we didn't have any problem with that area, also we stayed to the green side of the channel which was recommended for that area. Bamboushay was able to back off and get going again.
About 3:15 PM we had the anchor down in Rockhouse Creek which is just north of New Smyrna Beach and just inside the Ponce De Leon inlet. There was a smaller sailboat that had beach during low tide next to the anchorage. I figured they did it on purpose to clean the bottom. The boat was about 25 feet. When high tide came in around 8:00 PM they moved out to deeper water and anchored.
On Tuesday morning we started off at 6:55 AM. There is a bridge that was 3 miles away that opens on the 20 minutes starting on the hour and we wanted to make the 7:20 opening. We made it there with several minutes to spare but they were doing maintenance on the gates that stop road traffic and didn't get the bridge open until 7:50. So much for timing. We had good current this day also although we were not going as fast. We made our second anchorage of Cocoa around 2:50 PM. The weather had continued to be good with the sun shining and temperatures around 75.
On Wednesday we again left just before 7:00 AM and had no problems making the third leg to Vero Beach. We arrived around 2:20 and went into the fuel dock to get a holding tank pump out. While at the dock we got our mooring assignment. We were to go to mooring ball 28 and raft up with a boat named Chanticleer. The mooring field was very crowded with most moorings having either two or three boats on them. Vero is the place to be for a cruisers Thanksgiving get together.
We were looking for our mooring and the boat named Chanticleer. We had to zig-zag between other boats and came to the area where we thought we needed to be. Low and behold there was a Chanticleer boat on our starboard and another one on our port. This could only happen to us. We couldn't see the number on the mooring ball from where we were so we had to pull forward of the two boats to see that we wanted the Chanticleer on our port. We hailed the boat and the couple on it helped us raft up to them. We then talked for about an hour with them and found out they are from Texas also. From the Houston area. They are also heading for the Bahamas and them plan on doing the thorny path south to the eastern Caribbean.
When we came in to the mooring field we saw that the boats Destiny and Song of Pogo were here also. We had been in several anchorages and marinas with them since North Carolina and were offshore with Destiny for 30 hours. We had gotten together with them, Jimmie and Bess and Otis and Marty for dinner in St. Augustine. Our cruising plans are all similiar so I'm sure we will see them in the Bahamas too.
We plan to stay here for a week or so to do our major provisioning and we are still waiting for the pet import papers to arrive from the Bahamas. Once all that is done we only have to head down to north Lake Worth and wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and over to the Bahamas. I will keep y'all informed.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Fernandina to St. Augustine
We stayed in Fernandina Beach for a couple of days. We stayed out on a mooring ball and had to dinghy to the marina. The current that runs in the river is very strong and with the wind blowing it was a wet ride to shore. The little town of Fernandina is very nice. Lots of little shops where you can get pretty much any curio or trinket you want. We left on Saturday and backtracked north into Georgia. It was only five miles to the anchorage off of Cumberland Island.
The southern end of Cumberland Island is a National Park which was given to the U.S. by Thomas Carnegie. There are lots of hiking trails through the forest which is made up of many varieties of trees. From old live oaks to palms. The live oaks have moss hanging all throughout. We also visited the ruins of the Carnegie vacation mansion, Dungeness. The home and other buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The house had been empty for many years when it burned in 1959. There are many wild horses roaming the island that you can get pretty close to without spooking them. We also saw several armadillos that didn't seemed to be spooked either. After visiting the ruins we walked another mile to the beach on the Atlantic side of the island.
From Cumberland Island we headed south to St. Augustine. It was a two day trip so we stopped at a marina in Jacksonville Beach for the night. We arrived at the marina early so I was able to hose the boat off with fresh water. The first time since coming in from the ocean. The deck was pretty crusted with salt. We were also able to fill the fresh water tank. The St. Augustine Municipal Marina now has three mooring fields. They charge much less for a mooring ball than a slip.
We picked up a mooring and got to work doing chores. I was able to change the oil in both the main engine and the generator. We also took the bus to the Publix supermarket and were able to restock the galley with a couple weeks of food. Once the chores were complete we visited the town. We stayed here a week in April on the way north and saw the town then but it is always fun to walk around in the shops. We had planned on staying in St. Augustine for a week because my brother Dave is flying down on Friday the 19th to visit for a few days.
On Monday the 22nd we are planning on heading south to Vero Beach. It will take us four days down the ICW to get there. Once there we will do some major provisioning to prepare for our crossing to the Bahamas.
The southern end of Cumberland Island is a National Park which was given to the U.S. by Thomas Carnegie. There are lots of hiking trails through the forest which is made up of many varieties of trees. From old live oaks to palms. The live oaks have moss hanging all throughout. We also visited the ruins of the Carnegie vacation mansion, Dungeness. The home and other buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The house had been empty for many years when it burned in 1959. There are many wild horses roaming the island that you can get pretty close to without spooking them. We also saw several armadillos that didn't seemed to be spooked either. After visiting the ruins we walked another mile to the beach on the Atlantic side of the island.
From Cumberland Island we headed south to St. Augustine. It was a two day trip so we stopped at a marina in Jacksonville Beach for the night. We arrived at the marina early so I was able to hose the boat off with fresh water. The first time since coming in from the ocean. The deck was pretty crusted with salt. We were also able to fill the fresh water tank. The St. Augustine Municipal Marina now has three mooring fields. They charge much less for a mooring ball than a slip.
We picked up a mooring and got to work doing chores. I was able to change the oil in both the main engine and the generator. We also took the bus to the Publix supermarket and were able to restock the galley with a couple weeks of food. Once the chores were complete we visited the town. We stayed here a week in April on the way north and saw the town then but it is always fun to walk around in the shops. We had planned on staying in St. Augustine for a week because my brother Dave is flying down on Friday the 19th to visit for a few days.
On Monday the 22nd we are planning on heading south to Vero Beach. It will take us four days down the ICW to get there. Once there we will do some major provisioning to prepare for our crossing to the Bahamas.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Back in FLorida
From Dowry Creek we proceeded down the Pungo River, across the Pamlico river, through another canal and out into the Neuse River. The winds were very strong from the North and the seas were very choppy with some waves as high as four feet. We stopped in Oriental at the Whittaker Pointe Marina. This is the same marina we had stopped in on the way north in May. It is a very nice facility and has a courtesy van to drive. We were the only transients at the dock so we used the van a lot. We went into New Bern, which is about 25 miles away to the Super WalMart and Harris Teeter grocery. We stocked up on things we were out of, especially meat and fresh produce.
While there I had to get my stuffing box restuffed. It was leaking a couple drips a second even when sitting at the dock. I had to pump the bilge every 8-10 hours. Just tightening it would not solve the problem so I had Deaton Yacht Services put new GFO stuffing in.
The weather turned bad with heavy rain for a couple of days and cold winds. This gave me a chance to continue with the Crazy Ivan problem we are still having with the auto pilot. While going through the system I discovered that the Rudder Angle Transmitter, RAT, that figures, was not installed very well. It was on a flimsy piece of plywood that could wiggle around. I took some starboard, which I got at Deaton Yacht Services and really secured it so it does not budge. So far it has been working good.
When the weather cleared we headed out from Oriental on the ICW. We wanted to go outside in the ocean from the Beaufort inlet to the Masonboro inlet. That would have saved us two days on the ICW. The waves were still pretty high and confused to we did the ICW. The first night we stopped at Dudley's Marina in Swansboro. They had us tied up to a bulkhead and in the morning when we went to leave the current was flowing so fast we were pinned to the bulkhead. It took 3 guys on the dock to push the boat off. We scraped down the pilings but it didn't cause any damage. After 47 nautical miles we stopped in Wrightville Beach. The current there was running about 3 knots with the flow going with us. There is a bridge that only opens on the hour just before Wrightville Beach. It was like a zoo with about 20 other boats trying to maneuver in a small channel with the current while waiting for the opening.
We stayed one night in Wrightville Beach and then did a short 25 miles to Southport Marina in Southport NC. We had planned to go out the Cape Fear River inlet to Charleston the next day. The weather was looking really good for the next five days so instead we stayed at the marina two nights to give us time to set the boat up for an ocean passage. We had to put everything that could fly around in heavy seas away and strap the big items down.
We left on Tuesday and instead of heading for Charleston, SC we headed for Fernandina Beach, Florida. The route is 270 miles and I estimated it would take us 48-54 hours. We had left at 0640 and arrived in Fernandina Beach at 0840 on Wednesday. This saved us about eight days on the ICW. We put our new AIS, Automatic Identification System to the test. It was well worth the money. Going past the Charleston inlet at 0400 we were able to easily track cargo ships coming out and going in. We had one incident where I was tracking a ship that was inbound to Charleston from the south. His track was straight for us as we were heading in a southwesterly direction. The AIS gives us the name of the ship, destination, heading, turning rate, speed and other information about the ship. I called him on the VHF radio to make sure he saw us on his radar. He confirmed that he did and would go to our stern. Well I could see on the AIS that he kept turning towards us as we continued southwesterly. At night the distances are very deceiving. It looked like he was right on top of us and in the dark all I could see was these huge red and green bow lights coming right for us. I was shaking in my foul weather boots. I radioed him again and he assured me he could see us and would go to our stern. I could also see him on our radar and he didn't come any closer than one mile distance to us but at night that is plenty close enough.
There were two other sail boats, Destiny, with Jim and Bess, and Aruba II with Andre, whom we had met at the Dismal Swamp visitor center traveling along with us. It was nice to know that when we are 30-40 miles offshore there is someone else out there too. We talked quite a bit on the radio to pass the night away and help stay awake. Andre has sailed quite a bit and always solo. He sleeps for 20 minutes at a time while the auto pilot is steering.
We arrived at the St. Mary's river inlet around 0500. I didn't want to do a night entry, even though I had been through this inlet before and it is an easy inlet to enter, so we hove to for an hour and a half outside and just north of the inlet to let the sun come up. Once in we tied up to one of the mooring buoys at the Fernandina Harbor Marina. We will stay here a couple of days to rest and make plans for continuing.
Here is a short video I took while we were about 30 miles off the coast from Savannah Georgia.
While there I had to get my stuffing box restuffed. It was leaking a couple drips a second even when sitting at the dock. I had to pump the bilge every 8-10 hours. Just tightening it would not solve the problem so I had Deaton Yacht Services put new GFO stuffing in.
The weather turned bad with heavy rain for a couple of days and cold winds. This gave me a chance to continue with the Crazy Ivan problem we are still having with the auto pilot. While going through the system I discovered that the Rudder Angle Transmitter, RAT, that figures, was not installed very well. It was on a flimsy piece of plywood that could wiggle around. I took some starboard, which I got at Deaton Yacht Services and really secured it so it does not budge. So far it has been working good.
When the weather cleared we headed out from Oriental on the ICW. We wanted to go outside in the ocean from the Beaufort inlet to the Masonboro inlet. That would have saved us two days on the ICW. The waves were still pretty high and confused to we did the ICW. The first night we stopped at Dudley's Marina in Swansboro. They had us tied up to a bulkhead and in the morning when we went to leave the current was flowing so fast we were pinned to the bulkhead. It took 3 guys on the dock to push the boat off. We scraped down the pilings but it didn't cause any damage. After 47 nautical miles we stopped in Wrightville Beach. The current there was running about 3 knots with the flow going with us. There is a bridge that only opens on the hour just before Wrightville Beach. It was like a zoo with about 20 other boats trying to maneuver in a small channel with the current while waiting for the opening.
We stayed one night in Wrightville Beach and then did a short 25 miles to Southport Marina in Southport NC. We had planned to go out the Cape Fear River inlet to Charleston the next day. The weather was looking really good for the next five days so instead we stayed at the marina two nights to give us time to set the boat up for an ocean passage. We had to put everything that could fly around in heavy seas away and strap the big items down.
We left on Tuesday and instead of heading for Charleston, SC we headed for Fernandina Beach, Florida. The route is 270 miles and I estimated it would take us 48-54 hours. We had left at 0640 and arrived in Fernandina Beach at 0840 on Wednesday. This saved us about eight days on the ICW. We put our new AIS, Automatic Identification System to the test. It was well worth the money. Going past the Charleston inlet at 0400 we were able to easily track cargo ships coming out and going in. We had one incident where I was tracking a ship that was inbound to Charleston from the south. His track was straight for us as we were heading in a southwesterly direction. The AIS gives us the name of the ship, destination, heading, turning rate, speed and other information about the ship. I called him on the VHF radio to make sure he saw us on his radar. He confirmed that he did and would go to our stern. Well I could see on the AIS that he kept turning towards us as we continued southwesterly. At night the distances are very deceiving. It looked like he was right on top of us and in the dark all I could see was these huge red and green bow lights coming right for us. I was shaking in my foul weather boots. I radioed him again and he assured me he could see us and would go to our stern. I could also see him on our radar and he didn't come any closer than one mile distance to us but at night that is plenty close enough.
There were two other sail boats, Destiny, with Jim and Bess, and Aruba II with Andre, whom we had met at the Dismal Swamp visitor center traveling along with us. It was nice to know that when we are 30-40 miles offshore there is someone else out there too. We talked quite a bit on the radio to pass the night away and help stay awake. Andre has sailed quite a bit and always solo. He sleeps for 20 minutes at a time while the auto pilot is steering.
We arrived at the St. Mary's river inlet around 0500. I didn't want to do a night entry, even though I had been through this inlet before and it is an easy inlet to enter, so we hove to for an hour and a half outside and just north of the inlet to let the sun come up. Once in we tied up to one of the mooring buoys at the Fernandina Harbor Marina. We will stay here a couple of days to rest and make plans for continuing.
Here is a short video I took while we were about 30 miles off the coast from Savannah Georgia.
Clewie Clip!
Wow! so much has happened I don't know where to begin. We were at this place, my people called it The Swamp. There were lots of boats really close together and other people were walking across ours. I wanted to jump from boat to boat but the woman wouldn't let me. I had to be satisfied with just sitting in the back place and watch. When the other people would come by they would all say, "What pretty blue eyes you have", well yeah, I'm a Siamese. Some would come and touch me and I would smell them. The ones that smelled good I would lick. Some didn't smell too good though. From my seat I could see lots of trees, in fact the whole place was trees. I wanted so bad to go out and climb them and pretend that I am the queen of the jungle. Ah, dreams are good.
We left there and went to this place where we were tied up at a park. All I could do there is dream about running in the park. I saw some of the same other people that I saw at The Swamp place. We didn't stay here very long. I heard the woman say something about getting some wine and then leaving. We did stay overnight though.
The next day we had some men people get on the boat and we weren't ever by land. They looked really official and looked all over the boat. At first it scared me but when one of the scary looking man people said, "Ah, you have a kitty on board", I knew we would be OK. We kept going and they got off, I don't know where they went or how but they got off.
We stopped for awhile at some dock and it rained and got really cold. I'm glad we were at the dock so we could have heat. I don't have that nasty long fur like my sister to help keep me warm. It is like icky, she licks it and then barfs. I just laugh.
After a few more of the regular days with that loud thingy they call a motor running we had a really long period of moving. I thought it would never end and my people were mostly up above. Every time they would come down below I would scream really loud, to be heard over the motor thingy, and then rub all up against them to get attention. We finally stopped and now it seems to be a lot warmer. Hmmm, wonder why that is!
Bye Bye for now.
Clewie
We left there and went to this place where we were tied up at a park. All I could do there is dream about running in the park. I saw some of the same other people that I saw at The Swamp place. We didn't stay here very long. I heard the woman say something about getting some wine and then leaving. We did stay overnight though.
The next day we had some men people get on the boat and we weren't ever by land. They looked really official and looked all over the boat. At first it scared me but when one of the scary looking man people said, "Ah, you have a kitty on board", I knew we would be OK. We kept going and they got off, I don't know where they went or how but they got off.
We stopped for awhile at some dock and it rained and got really cold. I'm glad we were at the dock so we could have heat. I don't have that nasty long fur like my sister to help keep me warm. It is like icky, she licks it and then barfs. I just laugh.
After a few more of the regular days with that loud thingy they call a motor running we had a really long period of moving. I thought it would never end and my people were mostly up above. Every time they would come down below I would scream really loud, to be heard over the motor thingy, and then rub all up against them to get attention. We finally stopped and now it seems to be a lot warmer. Hmmm, wonder why that is!
Bye Bye for now.
Clewie
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Dismal Swamp and South
After leaving the York River Yacht Haven we went south in the Chesapeake and into the Elizabeth River where we anchored at Hospital Point. The winds were high and the seas choppy enroute. We passed the entrance to Saltponds Marina where we spent three months in the summer. Everyone complained about the entry channel being too shallow. There was a sailboat aground in the channel and other boats could not get in or out. We heard they are going to dredge it this winter. Let's hope.
When we arrived at Hospital Point there were already about 20 boats anchored there. The bottom is not real good for holding your anchor and it took us a couple of tries to get ours to set good. It was windy but a pleasant night. Both shores, Norfolk and Portsmouth were all lit up. It was like being anchored in the center of a city, which it was. When we woke up in the morning there was a huge Carnival Cruise Ship moored along the Norfolk side pier about 200 yards from us. We didn't even hear it arrive. There was two police boats patrolling along side it to keep other boats away.
We left Hospital Point around 8 AM and headed down the Elizabeth River and into the canal that leads to the Deep Creek lock at the north end of the Dismal Swamp Canal route. We had to wait about 30 minutes before the lock opened. There were 15 boats total going into the lock. It took longer than normal to get through the lock because the operator wanted to let the water in slowly as to not knock boats around. Here is a short video clip of the locking. It would have been longer but I ran out of space on my card. To see the videos on full screen click on the button on the lower right of the video after you start it.
Once in the Dismal Swamp it was single file up to the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center which was a distance of 18 miles. The visitors center also serves as a rest stop for North Carolina route 17 traffic. I think drivers are amazed when they stop and see these boats there. We seem to be an attraction for them. Many come down and take photos and talk to us.
There is only enough room on the wall at the visitors center for 3 or 4 boats so rafting is expected. In the picture we are the boat on the inside front. This was taken after 5 boats had already left. There had been three rafted together in front of us.
There is a small bridge that swings open and closed to allow people to cross the canal to visit a small museum about the swamp and also hike on the miles of trails. The Dismal Swamp State Park is North Carolina's 2nd largest state park. We saw deer very near the visitor center.
We ended up staying at the visitors center 4 nights. The weather had turned bad with high winds from the south, rain and thunderstorms. We could have moved on down the canal to Elizabeth City but they were packed with boats on every bulk head, in every slip and filling the anchorage. They were not moving because of the weather so we couldn't move. On Friday we finally headed out for Elizabeth City. It was only a 23 mile run so it didn't take very long. We were able to find a spot on the bulkhead by the city park to tie up to. Here is a video clip of the upper Pasquotank River which is the river we enter after leaving the Dismal Swamp. It goes into Elizabeth CIty and then south to Albermarle Sound.
Video clip of the upper Pasquotank River just past the Dismal Swamp Canal.
We only stayed one night at Elizabeth City. Enough time for Sandy to resupply the wine and licorice stash. I hit the ice cream store, deli and chips stores.
We continued down the Pasquotank River and at the mouth where it meets Albermarle Sound we were boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard. They come up from behind you in a fast rigid inflatable boat. They have you maintain your course and speed while two officers cross over to our boat. They did there normal safety inspection, checking our documents and holding tank settings. It took them about 15 minutes to complete everything and then they leave. The two officers were very polite and treated us with respect. After crossing Albermarle Sound we entered the Alligator River. The entrance is a bit tricky. Shoaling continues to change the route. You cannot go by your charts at all. You strictly follow the buoys. This is where we ran aground in May on our way north. While going through there was a 50+ foot power yacht stuck. A Towboat US boat was trying to pull it off the shoal. We went through without seeing anything less than 10 feet. While continuing on we heard several more boats call Towboat US to get pulled off. I hope they were members with unlimited towing because one tow can cost you up to $800.
We stopped for the night anchored in the Alligator River just before preceding into the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal. We then left at dawn and just went 30 miles to the Dowry Creek Marina where we had to refuel and pump out the holding tank. We will stay here the night and continue to Oriental in the morning.
While at the visitor center we made friends with other boaters and have been going along at the same pace. We all met at Elizabeth City, some were anchored in the Alligator River by us and a few are here at the Dowry Creek Marina for the night.
When we arrived at Hospital Point there were already about 20 boats anchored there. The bottom is not real good for holding your anchor and it took us a couple of tries to get ours to set good. It was windy but a pleasant night. Both shores, Norfolk and Portsmouth were all lit up. It was like being anchored in the center of a city, which it was. When we woke up in the morning there was a huge Carnival Cruise Ship moored along the Norfolk side pier about 200 yards from us. We didn't even hear it arrive. There was two police boats patrolling along side it to keep other boats away.
We left Hospital Point around 8 AM and headed down the Elizabeth River and into the canal that leads to the Deep Creek lock at the north end of the Dismal Swamp Canal route. We had to wait about 30 minutes before the lock opened. There were 15 boats total going into the lock. It took longer than normal to get through the lock because the operator wanted to let the water in slowly as to not knock boats around. Here is a short video clip of the locking. It would have been longer but I ran out of space on my card. To see the videos on full screen click on the button on the lower right of the video after you start it.
Once in the Dismal Swamp it was single file up to the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center which was a distance of 18 miles. The visitors center also serves as a rest stop for North Carolina route 17 traffic. I think drivers are amazed when they stop and see these boats there. We seem to be an attraction for them. Many come down and take photos and talk to us.
There is only enough room on the wall at the visitors center for 3 or 4 boats so rafting is expected. In the picture we are the boat on the inside front. This was taken after 5 boats had already left. There had been three rafted together in front of us.
There is a small bridge that swings open and closed to allow people to cross the canal to visit a small museum about the swamp and also hike on the miles of trails. The Dismal Swamp State Park is North Carolina's 2nd largest state park. We saw deer very near the visitor center.
We ended up staying at the visitors center 4 nights. The weather had turned bad with high winds from the south, rain and thunderstorms. We could have moved on down the canal to Elizabeth City but they were packed with boats on every bulk head, in every slip and filling the anchorage. They were not moving because of the weather so we couldn't move. On Friday we finally headed out for Elizabeth City. It was only a 23 mile run so it didn't take very long. We were able to find a spot on the bulkhead by the city park to tie up to. Here is a video clip of the upper Pasquotank River which is the river we enter after leaving the Dismal Swamp. It goes into Elizabeth CIty and then south to Albermarle Sound.
Video clip of the upper Pasquotank River just past the Dismal Swamp Canal.
We only stayed one night at Elizabeth City. Enough time for Sandy to resupply the wine and licorice stash. I hit the ice cream store, deli and chips stores.
We continued down the Pasquotank River and at the mouth where it meets Albermarle Sound we were boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard. They come up from behind you in a fast rigid inflatable boat. They have you maintain your course and speed while two officers cross over to our boat. They did there normal safety inspection, checking our documents and holding tank settings. It took them about 15 minutes to complete everything and then they leave. The two officers were very polite and treated us with respect. After crossing Albermarle Sound we entered the Alligator River. The entrance is a bit tricky. Shoaling continues to change the route. You cannot go by your charts at all. You strictly follow the buoys. This is where we ran aground in May on our way north. While going through there was a 50+ foot power yacht stuck. A Towboat US boat was trying to pull it off the shoal. We went through without seeing anything less than 10 feet. While continuing on we heard several more boats call Towboat US to get pulled off. I hope they were members with unlimited towing because one tow can cost you up to $800.
We stopped for the night anchored in the Alligator River just before preceding into the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal. We then left at dawn and just went 30 miles to the Dowry Creek Marina where we had to refuel and pump out the holding tank. We will stay here the night and continue to Oriental in the morning.
While at the visitor center we made friends with other boaters and have been going along at the same pace. We all met at Elizabeth City, some were anchored in the Alligator River by us and a few are here at the Dowry Creek Marina for the night.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We're Moving! We're Moving!
All of our engine maintenance items are completed. Chad at Zimmerman Marine did a great job. We had the fuel injectors pulled and cleaned, valves adjusted, belt inspected and tightened, coolant drained, flushed and replaced and we had a small oil leaked fixed. I highly recommend the good folks at Zimmerman.
We left the dock this morning early and went south. The winds were forecast to be southwest around 5. They were southwest but up close to 20. The Chesapeake was really choppy. We were able to sail part of the way and had to motor sail the rest. We stopped in Sarah Creek which is up the York River. We will stay here one night and then complete the Chesapeake transit tomorrow. We will go into the Elizabeth River and stop at Hospital Point. That is in Norfolk right next to the Naval hospital. From there we will go back thru the Dismal Swamp Canal and down to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. That much should take us 5 to 7 days depending on weather. We may sit tight for a day or two. This coming week there are thunderstorms and rain in the forecast.
We left the dock this morning early and went south. The winds were forecast to be southwest around 5. They were southwest but up close to 20. The Chesapeake was really choppy. We were able to sail part of the way and had to motor sail the rest. We stopped in Sarah Creek which is up the York River. We will stay here one night and then complete the Chesapeake transit tomorrow. We will go into the Elizabeth River and stop at Hospital Point. That is in Norfolk right next to the Naval hospital. From there we will go back thru the Dismal Swamp Canal and down to Elizabeth City, North Carolina. That much should take us 5 to 7 days depending on weather. We may sit tight for a day or two. This coming week there are thunderstorms and rain in the forecast.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
After Cambridge
We left Cambridge, Md on Friday October 8th and headed for St. Michaels which is further north. We came out the Choptank river and went north and entered Eastern Bay and then the Miles river. It was about a 42 mile run. I had been to St. Michaels by boat about 15 years ago. Wow, what a change. It has really built up. Most of the places to anchor were either taken over by marinas or had a bunch of other boats in them. We ended up taking a slip at a marina. I think the slips were made out of gold. At least you would think so by the cost. We only stayed one night and really didn't go see anything.
We had planned on St. Michaels being our most northerly port before heading back south. We left Saturday morning and went 48 miles all the way back to Solomon's, Md. We anchored up in St. John's creek for the night. We got up early and went to refuel at Spring Cove marina before heading south to Mill Creek. The cruising guide lists eight Mill Creek's. It seems that you can't throw a stick without hitting either a Mill Creek, Broad Creek or Back Creek. Anyhoo, we were in the Mill Creek that is off Ingram Bay at the mouth of the Great Wicomico river. It is about 5-6 miles south of Reedville, Va. And, no, there was no smell from the fish processing plant.
We stayed two nights in Mill Creek. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful. The first night there were about eight other boats anchored around us. The second night there was only one other boat and it was around the corner from us.
We wanted to stay another night but some bad weather and high winds were approaching. We pulled up the anchor on Wednesday about 11 AM and headed for Broad Creek off the Rapahannock river and Deltaville, Va. On the way north we came into Deltaville but came in on the south side into Jackson Creek. We are at the Deltaville location of Zimmerman Marine. We need to get some engine maintenance items done since we are coming up on 600 hours. We liked the work that Chad does and figured this would be a good time to stop before heading way south. We will be here about a week.
We had planned on St. Michaels being our most northerly port before heading back south. We left Saturday morning and went 48 miles all the way back to Solomon's, Md. We anchored up in St. John's creek for the night. We got up early and went to refuel at Spring Cove marina before heading south to Mill Creek. The cruising guide lists eight Mill Creek's. It seems that you can't throw a stick without hitting either a Mill Creek, Broad Creek or Back Creek. Anyhoo, we were in the Mill Creek that is off Ingram Bay at the mouth of the Great Wicomico river. It is about 5-6 miles south of Reedville, Va. And, no, there was no smell from the fish processing plant.
We stayed two nights in Mill Creek. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful. The first night there were about eight other boats anchored around us. The second night there was only one other boat and it was around the corner from us.
We wanted to stay another night but some bad weather and high winds were approaching. We pulled up the anchor on Wednesday about 11 AM and headed for Broad Creek off the Rapahannock river and Deltaville, Va. On the way north we came into Deltaville but came in on the south side into Jackson Creek. We are at the Deltaville location of Zimmerman Marine. We need to get some engine maintenance items done since we are coming up on 600 hours. We liked the work that Chad does and figured this would be a good time to stop before heading way south. We will be here about a week.
Clewie Clip!
Hi everyone, it has been a really long time since I have been able to post. My people keep shoving me away from the computer. It seems that my paws hit the wrong keys and it really messes up the display. I think when I do it the screen is called "Oh Crap" or something like that.
Well, it was a really hot summer. I stayed down in the boat where it was nice and cool. I was getting kind of bored though so it is nice to be back out on the water. Although there were some rough days and I still don't like when that loud motory thing is running. When that happens I just hide under the covers as far away as I can get from it. I don't know how my sister stands it. She just lies in the aft cabin where it is the noisiest. She must be deaf or something. I guess that explains why I can sneak up and pounce on her without her knowing.
It is really neat to be traveling. The inside stays the same but the outside has changed everytime we stop. I'm not allowed outside when we are moving though. When we are stopped I get to run around in the cockpit. When I get close to the edge I keep hearing a loud sound from the people. It sounds like "NO". Not sure what that means. The other day the lady people took me out on the deck. I even got my picture taken.
Now I know how to get out there and run out without the people as soon as they are not looking. You should hear the "NOs" then. I think the people think that I am crazy because now they put a straight jacket on me and I can hardly move. When I first had it on I flopped on my side and laid there like a slug. They would stand me up but I would just fall over. I'm not liking this thing at all. Eventually I was able to get up and stand. It took a long time for me to finally get my legs to move. Now I can walk a little bit with it on. For some reason it just takes the fun out of running out onto the deck.
I had to go to the doctor and get shots. The people stuck me in this little cage and my sister in another one. We rode in this big red truck that was really noisy. The doctor was nice but I must have not been good because I didn't get a tasty treat. After the shots I probably would have barfed it up anyway.
Today it is really windy and noisy outside so I think I will just stay inside and sleep.
Well, it was a really hot summer. I stayed down in the boat where it was nice and cool. I was getting kind of bored though so it is nice to be back out on the water. Although there were some rough days and I still don't like when that loud motory thing is running. When that happens I just hide under the covers as far away as I can get from it. I don't know how my sister stands it. She just lies in the aft cabin where it is the noisiest. She must be deaf or something. I guess that explains why I can sneak up and pounce on her without her knowing.
It is really neat to be traveling. The inside stays the same but the outside has changed everytime we stop. I'm not allowed outside when we are moving though. When we are stopped I get to run around in the cockpit. When I get close to the edge I keep hearing a loud sound from the people. It sounds like "NO". Not sure what that means. The other day the lady people took me out on the deck. I even got my picture taken.
Now I know how to get out there and run out without the people as soon as they are not looking. You should hear the "NOs" then. I think the people think that I am crazy because now they put a straight jacket on me and I can hardly move. When I first had it on I flopped on my side and laid there like a slug. They would stand me up but I would just fall over. I'm not liking this thing at all. Eventually I was able to get up and stand. It took a long time for me to finally get my legs to move. Now I can walk a little bit with it on. For some reason it just takes the fun out of running out onto the deck.
I had to go to the doctor and get shots. The people stuck me in this little cage and my sister in another one. We rode in this big red truck that was really noisy. The doctor was nice but I must have not been good because I didn't get a tasty treat. After the shots I probably would have barfed it up anyway.
Today it is really windy and noisy outside so I think I will just stay inside and sleep.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Solomons to Cambridge
We departed Solomons early Wednesday for the 43 nautical mile trip north to Cambridge, Md. The winds were light from the Northwest so we couldn't sail until we got up to the Choptank River and turned Northeast. The Chesapeake waters were somewhat choppy. The wind the previous few days was blowing pretty hard and it was still churned up.
We passed a natural gas storage site along the west coast of the Chesapeake. It is huge with a natural gas platform and huge storage tanks.
We had to go about 16 miles up the Choptank River to get to Cambridge. They have a cement wall next to the county building that we could tie up to for 48 hours. It is right downtown so getting around was easy. The downtown area was kind of depressed. The guide indicated that there was a lot of shops. It was mostly empty buildings. We spoke to one shop owner who told us that most of the buildings were owned but the bad economy was keeping people from opening there business.
Xperience on the wall at Cambridge, Md.
Looking at some Condos on the north side of Cambridge Creek.
Looking west up Cambridge Creek thru the bascule bridge.
We walked around the historic area and saw many older large homes and ornate churches.
We passed a natural gas storage site along the west coast of the Chesapeake. It is huge with a natural gas platform and huge storage tanks.
We had to go about 16 miles up the Choptank River to get to Cambridge. They have a cement wall next to the county building that we could tie up to for 48 hours. It is right downtown so getting around was easy. The downtown area was kind of depressed. The guide indicated that there was a lot of shops. It was mostly empty buildings. We spoke to one shop owner who told us that most of the buildings were owned but the bad economy was keeping people from opening there business.
Xperience on the wall at Cambridge, Md.
Looking at some Condos on the north side of Cambridge Creek.
Looking west up Cambridge Creek thru the bascule bridge.We walked around the historic area and saw many older large homes and ornate churches.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Solomons Island, Maryland
After leaving Reedville we headed north 42 miles to Solomons Island, Maryland. The route was easy and we were able to sail part of the way. We passed two lighthouses enroute. The Smith Point Light and the Point No Point Light (catchy name).
It took us about 7 hours for the trip and had the anchor down in St John's creek next to some nice looking homes. We went up the creek further than most boats do so we would have a quiet anchorage. The weather has been nice, temperature in the 70's and sunshine.
Every evening right before dark hundreds of geese would fly over heading from west to east. I am assuming they went ashore to feed and then were heading back out to the bay for the night. We could hear them coming from about 1/2 mile away. Just honking like mad. I wonder what they are saying. Probably giving the leader of the V directions. The leader is probably a male and we know he won't ask directions.
We stayed in the anchorage for six nights. Occasionally taking our dinghy and going around to Back Creek where the marinas are. We would land at Zahniser's marina and walk to the grocery store.
Our fine weather was about to come to an end with the arrival of tropical storm Nicole which was coming straight up the east coast from Florida. We decided to move over to a mooring ball at Zahniser's so we would be closer to going ashore and maybe a little piece of mind being on a secure mooring. However, we have never dragged anchor, yet! I really trust our big Super Max anchor.
Tropical storm Nicole hit on Thursday and the wind and rain lasted for about 40 hours. We had wind gusts to 50 mph with sustained wind around 30. The rain just kept coming down in buckets. We heard reports that some areas nearby had up to 20 inches of rain. Since Nicole has passed we really have only had one nice day or weather.
We took advantage of the nice weather day and borrowed the bikes from the marina and rode to a CVS pharmacy about a mile and 1/2 away. We also stopped at the grocery store and picked up some fresh meat. The Woodburn's grocery is pretty close, you can walk to it or dinghy to the Holiday Inn marina which is right next to it, and they have great produce and meats. We stocked up on some extra and put it in the freezer.
Here in Back Creek there is a lot of boating things going on. There are about five large marinas so it has been a parade of boats coming and going. The mooring is right by the Calvert Marine Museum and they have a tour boat that leaves early and comes back in the afternoon. The people have to sit outside and most were pretty well bundled up. There was a replica Viking boat that came out from the museum. It was small and had eight oars and a single sail. No one was calling the rowing count and it looked like a bunch of drunks trying to row together.
I never did see them put the sail up.
There is a boat race on the Patuxent river just outside the creeks where we are this weekend. The noise from the boats is unbelievable. There are even some jet boats here. They are using the marina right across from us and do the engine revving thing to get warmed up before going out.
Just sitting around watching the boat traffic has been nice and relaxing though. Also there is a clock somewhere that chimes the Winchester chime that we can hear. It reminds me of our den at home. Or at least the home we used to have.
The other night we met a couple, Dave and Peggy, that are living on there Venizia 42 Catamaran sailboat. They invited us over for drinks after dinner. Dave is a retired Coast Guard captain and spent a lot of time on the water. He says it has all been larger ships though and has a lot to learn about his Cat and doing the ICW. They are heading to the Bahama's this winter too so we may run into them down there.
We are planning to leave here soon and head further north to Oxford and Cambridge Maryland. The winds have been strong and out of the north with waves running 2-5 feet in the Chesapeake. We don't really want to head right into that. We have met some people that are already heading south for the winter. We will stick around the Chesapeake for a few more weeks before heading south.
It took us about 7 hours for the trip and had the anchor down in St John's creek next to some nice looking homes. We went up the creek further than most boats do so we would have a quiet anchorage. The weather has been nice, temperature in the 70's and sunshine.
Every evening right before dark hundreds of geese would fly over heading from west to east. I am assuming they went ashore to feed and then were heading back out to the bay for the night. We could hear them coming from about 1/2 mile away. Just honking like mad. I wonder what they are saying. Probably giving the leader of the V directions. The leader is probably a male and we know he won't ask directions.
We stayed in the anchorage for six nights. Occasionally taking our dinghy and going around to Back Creek where the marinas are. We would land at Zahniser's marina and walk to the grocery store.
Our fine weather was about to come to an end with the arrival of tropical storm Nicole which was coming straight up the east coast from Florida. We decided to move over to a mooring ball at Zahniser's so we would be closer to going ashore and maybe a little piece of mind being on a secure mooring. However, we have never dragged anchor, yet! I really trust our big Super Max anchor.
Tropical storm Nicole hit on Thursday and the wind and rain lasted for about 40 hours. We had wind gusts to 50 mph with sustained wind around 30. The rain just kept coming down in buckets. We heard reports that some areas nearby had up to 20 inches of rain. Since Nicole has passed we really have only had one nice day or weather.
We took advantage of the nice weather day and borrowed the bikes from the marina and rode to a CVS pharmacy about a mile and 1/2 away. We also stopped at the grocery store and picked up some fresh meat. The Woodburn's grocery is pretty close, you can walk to it or dinghy to the Holiday Inn marina which is right next to it, and they have great produce and meats. We stocked up on some extra and put it in the freezer.
Here in Back Creek there is a lot of boating things going on. There are about five large marinas so it has been a parade of boats coming and going. The mooring is right by the Calvert Marine Museum and they have a tour boat that leaves early and comes back in the afternoon. The people have to sit outside and most were pretty well bundled up. There was a replica Viking boat that came out from the museum. It was small and had eight oars and a single sail. No one was calling the rowing count and it looked like a bunch of drunks trying to row together.
I never did see them put the sail up.
There is a boat race on the Patuxent river just outside the creeks where we are this weekend. The noise from the boats is unbelievable. There are even some jet boats here. They are using the marina right across from us and do the engine revving thing to get warmed up before going out.
Just sitting around watching the boat traffic has been nice and relaxing though. Also there is a clock somewhere that chimes the Winchester chime that we can hear. It reminds me of our den at home. Or at least the home we used to have.
The other night we met a couple, Dave and Peggy, that are living on there Venizia 42 Catamaran sailboat. They invited us over for drinks after dinner. Dave is a retired Coast Guard captain and spent a lot of time on the water. He says it has all been larger ships though and has a lot to learn about his Cat and doing the ICW. They are heading to the Bahama's this winter too so we may run into them down there.
We are planning to leave here soon and head further north to Oxford and Cambridge Maryland. The winds have been strong and out of the north with waves running 2-5 feet in the Chesapeake. We don't really want to head right into that. We have met some people that are already heading south for the winter. We will stick around the Chesapeake for a few more weeks before heading south.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Reedville Virginia
We had a pleasant sail to Reedville Virginia. We entered the Great Wicomico River at Ingram Bay which is just off the West side of the Chesapeake and headed up Cockrell Creek. We went past the Reedville town point about 1/2 mile up the creek to a quiet anchorage by some lovely homes.
Reedville is very historic and well known for the menhaden fishing industry started by Elijah Reed in the late 1800's. There are many beautiful stately turn of the century homes on Millionaire's Row. Many are now B&B's.
The menhaden fish is an oily fish and is processed for the oil and by products. There is a fish processing plant just south of the town and the smell from it is overwhelming to say the least. We were to the north and of course had a south wind blowing it right across us. I am still trying to decide which aroma is more pleasant, the fish processing plant or sticking my head in the litter box after a fresh BM and no burial. We were going to go out to dinner at the Crazy Crab restaurant but I was afraid I would barf in my clam chowder. Not that barfing would be embarrassing, it probably happens all the time there, but I would not want to deface a good clam chowder.
Needless to say we highsailed it out of there at first light. We had planned to stay over the weekend, but no way. We were planning to go up the Potomac River a ways but there is bad weather moving into the area and will last about a week so we are going to Solomons Island, Maryland. It is rumored that the air is very fresh smelling there.
By the way, the autopilot hydraulics seem to be working fine. We do have another problem where the pilot will do a Crazy Ivan every now and then, which isn't good. I am tracking that problem down now. If you don't know what a Crazy Ivan is go watch the movie "Hunt for Red October".
Reedville is very historic and well known for the menhaden fishing industry started by Elijah Reed in the late 1800's. There are many beautiful stately turn of the century homes on Millionaire's Row. Many are now B&B's.
The menhaden fish is an oily fish and is processed for the oil and by products. There is a fish processing plant just south of the town and the smell from it is overwhelming to say the least. We were to the north and of course had a south wind blowing it right across us. I am still trying to decide which aroma is more pleasant, the fish processing plant or sticking my head in the litter box after a fresh BM and no burial. We were going to go out to dinner at the Crazy Crab restaurant but I was afraid I would barf in my clam chowder. Not that barfing would be embarrassing, it probably happens all the time there, but I would not want to deface a good clam chowder.
Needless to say we highsailed it out of there at first light. We had planned to stay over the weekend, but no way. We were planning to go up the Potomac River a ways but there is bad weather moving into the area and will last about a week so we are going to Solomons Island, Maryland. It is rumored that the air is very fresh smelling there.
By the way, the autopilot hydraulics seem to be working fine. We do have another problem where the pilot will do a Crazy Ivan every now and then, which isn't good. I am tracking that problem down now. If you don't know what a Crazy Ivan is go watch the movie "Hunt for Red October".
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Mathews to Deltaville
We finally have all of the maintenance items completed. The list seemed to get longer as the days went on. Our original purpose for going to Zimmerman Marine in Mathews Va. was to get the hydraulic leak fixed on our autopilot. Before we left Hampton I had a diver clean the bottom since we had been sitting for several months. He mentioned that the bottom paint was rubbed off of the bottom of the keel. So I decided to have the boat pulled and touch up the paint also. In the past when I had done this the boat was hauled, bottom paint touched up and relaunched all in about 5 hours. The boat stayed in the travel lift the entire time. At Zimmerman Marine in Mathews they don't have a travel lift. They use a huge trailer with hydraulic arms that are raised after the boat is over them. Then they pull the trailer and boat out of the water. The bottom needed more attention then thought so the boat was blocked on the hard. The work should only take a day and we should be back in the water the next day. Yeah, right! Eight days later we are finally back in the water. The hydraulics on the tractor that pulls the trailer out of the water broke down while they were pulling another boat out. It took a week for that to get fixed. It seems hydraulics and I don't get along. We stayed on the boat on the hard and it was like living in a tree house.
While the boat was out of the water we noticed that the cutlass bearing needed replacement. This is the area where the propeller shaft goes thru the hull. It is a rubber bushing that will wear out with use. This is the first time we have had to replace it in 9 years. Since we are using the boat more now it will most likely last two or three years. I also replaced the stuffing in the stuffing box. That is the part where the shaft log, tube the propeller shaft goes thru, ends inside and keeps the water out. I also replaced all the zincs on the shaft, propeller and week shoe. The zincs keep the other metals from being eaten by electrolysis. I also changed the impellers on the main engine and generator.
We moved from the dock to the Zimmerman mooring buoy out on the East River on Friday the 17th. We had to move at high tide in order to get across the bar that is only 4 feet at low tide. I kept have the song "The tide is high and were moving on" going thru my head. We stayed on the buoy until Sunday morning. At that time we took off and headed for Deltaville Va. about 30 miles north.
East River looking south.
East River looking north.
The trip north to Deltaville was uneventful. We motor sailed since the wind was mostly on the bow with some points moving to starboard and allowing us to sail close hauled. The trip took us 4 and a half hours.
This is the Wolf Trap light house which we used as one of our navigation markers. It is about three miles from the western shore but marks an area of shoaling.
We entered Jackson Creek on the south side of Deltaville. That name has a nice ring to it. The entrance looks wide open coming into the area. However, the opening is very shallow, two feet in some places, and you have to remain in a tight channel coming in. We did see one boat turn too early and run aground. They were able to back off and recognized their mistake. We first stopped at the Deltaville Marina where we were able to pump out our holding tank for free. We then went around to the southern arm of Jackson Creek and anchored in 9 feet of water. This is a very nice creek with lots of protection from all but east winds. There are some very pretty homes along the creek.
Looking west in Jackson Creek.
Home just to the north of where we are anchored.
Looking east out into the Chesapeake Bay.
On Monday we launched the dinghy so we could go into town. We landed at the public pier which is only about 100 yards from where we are anchored. The main road is about 1/2 mile from the public pier. All of the stores are spread across about two miles along the main road coming into the marina area. We wanted to go to the grocery store which is about another mile away. Right when we got to the main road a guy in a pickup truck asked if we were off of a boat. We talked to him and he offered to give us a ride to the grocery. He also told us about the area and what restaurants to go to that are good. We spent about 30 minutes in the grocery and started walking the mile and a half back to the pier. We walked about a eighth of a mile when a lady stopped and asked if we were off a boat. She gave us a ride all the way back to the public pier. These two individuals were absolutely wonderful to give us the assistance they did. Everyone we have met on this entire trip so far have been wonderful.
We plan to leave tomorrow, Wednesday, and head for Reedville Va. about another 30 miles north.
While the boat was out of the water we noticed that the cutlass bearing needed replacement. This is the area where the propeller shaft goes thru the hull. It is a rubber bushing that will wear out with use. This is the first time we have had to replace it in 9 years. Since we are using the boat more now it will most likely last two or three years. I also replaced the stuffing in the stuffing box. That is the part where the shaft log, tube the propeller shaft goes thru, ends inside and keeps the water out. I also replaced all the zincs on the shaft, propeller and week shoe. The zincs keep the other metals from being eaten by electrolysis. I also changed the impellers on the main engine and generator.
We moved from the dock to the Zimmerman mooring buoy out on the East River on Friday the 17th. We had to move at high tide in order to get across the bar that is only 4 feet at low tide. I kept have the song "The tide is high and were moving on" going thru my head. We stayed on the buoy until Sunday morning. At that time we took off and headed for Deltaville Va. about 30 miles north.
East River looking south.
East River looking north.The trip north to Deltaville was uneventful. We motor sailed since the wind was mostly on the bow with some points moving to starboard and allowing us to sail close hauled. The trip took us 4 and a half hours.
This is the Wolf Trap light house which we used as one of our navigation markers. It is about three miles from the western shore but marks an area of shoaling.We entered Jackson Creek on the south side of Deltaville. That name has a nice ring to it. The entrance looks wide open coming into the area. However, the opening is very shallow, two feet in some places, and you have to remain in a tight channel coming in. We did see one boat turn too early and run aground. They were able to back off and recognized their mistake. We first stopped at the Deltaville Marina where we were able to pump out our holding tank for free. We then went around to the southern arm of Jackson Creek and anchored in 9 feet of water. This is a very nice creek with lots of protection from all but east winds. There are some very pretty homes along the creek.
Looking west in Jackson Creek.
Home just to the north of where we are anchored.
Looking east out into the Chesapeake Bay.On Monday we launched the dinghy so we could go into town. We landed at the public pier which is only about 100 yards from where we are anchored. The main road is about 1/2 mile from the public pier. All of the stores are spread across about two miles along the main road coming into the marina area. We wanted to go to the grocery store which is about another mile away. Right when we got to the main road a guy in a pickup truck asked if we were off of a boat. We talked to him and he offered to give us a ride to the grocery. He also told us about the area and what restaurants to go to that are good. We spent about 30 minutes in the grocery and started walking the mile and a half back to the pier. We walked about a eighth of a mile when a lady stopped and asked if we were off a boat. She gave us a ride all the way back to the public pier. These two individuals were absolutely wonderful to give us the assistance they did. Everyone we have met on this entire trip so far have been wonderful.
We plan to leave tomorrow, Wednesday, and head for Reedville Va. about another 30 miles north.
Monday, August 30, 2010
On the move again
We left Salt Ponds Marina in Hampton Va. today and motored up to Zimmerman Marine. It is up the East River in Mobjack Bay on the weatern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It was about a 25 mile trip up from Hampton. It took us 3 hours and 40 minutes. We were not able to sail at all. What wind we had was very light and on the nose. We will be here for a few days having some items done on the boat. Still having auto pilot problems, now a hydraulic leak. Also need an engine maintenance item and we think we will touch up the bottom paint where, as Sandy states it, I (Jeff) ran aground and also replace our Maxprop zinc.
We stored our vehicle in Hampton at an American Classic Storage facility. I think that was the hardest part of leaving. It sure was a luxury to have the SUV to visit places and get supplies. We want to keep the Expedition because that is our link to land. It may be in storage now until next summer but it gives us something to come back for.
It looks like hurricane Earl will get pretty close to the coast and will give us some high winds this Thursday so we are not in a hurry to leave. This place is really protected being back in a nice little cove. We had to have the service manager, whom I know from Cedar Mills on Texoma, come out in a little skiff and lead us in. At one point the channel is no wider than the beam of the boat and that is where a shallow spot is. We arrived right at high tide and had about 6 inches of water under our keel. The tides here run about a foot and a half. I guess we will be leaving at high tide also. Not much choice in the matter.
We stored our vehicle in Hampton at an American Classic Storage facility. I think that was the hardest part of leaving. It sure was a luxury to have the SUV to visit places and get supplies. We want to keep the Expedition because that is our link to land. It may be in storage now until next summer but it gives us something to come back for.
It looks like hurricane Earl will get pretty close to the coast and will give us some high winds this Thursday so we are not in a hurry to leave. This place is really protected being back in a nice little cove. We had to have the service manager, whom I know from Cedar Mills on Texoma, come out in a little skiff and lead us in. At one point the channel is no wider than the beam of the boat and that is where a shallow spot is. We arrived right at high tide and had about 6 inches of water under our keel. The tides here run about a foot and a half. I guess we will be leaving at high tide also. Not much choice in the matter.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Back from Hatteras
We are back on the boat at Salt Ponds Marina after spending a week in a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The house is located at the south end of Hatteras Island right across from the Ocracoke Island ferry terminal and the U.S. Coast Guard station. Sandy's brother, two sisters and their spouses were all there. The ocean beach was beautiful with soft clean sand. The surf was up most of the days as the wind was blowing 15-20 every day. We mainly swam in the pool at the house but did long walks on the beach. We ate lots of seafood at Dinky's and Teach's restaurants. On the nights we didn't go out to dinner each couple cooked the meal for all the others. Needless to say we ate really good. The house has a karaoke machine so we had a karaoke night. It was pretty wild. We all agreed that what happens at Hatteras stays at Hatteras.
There are historical markers along the island drive. One of them at the south end of Hatteras is about the U.S.S Monitor, the Union Civil War iron clad boat. It sunk in a storm just 16 miles off the coast from where we were staying. We wanted to learn more about the Monitor so when we returned to Hampton we went to the Mariners Museum in Newport News where the remains of the Monitor are being saved. The Monitor's resting place was discovered in 1974, 112 years after it's sinking in 1862 on New Years Eve. It was not salvaged until 2002. The ship was upside down on the bottom in 250 feet of water. The gun turret was the largest piece salvaged and is resting in a bath of solution to keep it from rusting anymore than it is. Both of the guns were recovered, the anchor and some chain, 100's of other smaller items, the steam engine and the remains of two sailors. We spent almost 4 hours just touring the Monitor section of the museum. You walk thru a timeline from when the Monitor was first designed and constructed, the battle of Hampton Roads where she battles the Confederate iron clad the Virginia, thru the sinking, the discovery of her resting place and the recovery. There was much more to see but we didn't spend a lot of time on the other areas.
Here are some photos of the house on Hatteras.
There are historical markers along the island drive. One of them at the south end of Hatteras is about the U.S.S Monitor, the Union Civil War iron clad boat. It sunk in a storm just 16 miles off the coast from where we were staying. We wanted to learn more about the Monitor so when we returned to Hampton we went to the Mariners Museum in Newport News where the remains of the Monitor are being saved. The Monitor's resting place was discovered in 1974, 112 years after it's sinking in 1862 on New Years Eve. It was not salvaged until 2002. The ship was upside down on the bottom in 250 feet of water. The gun turret was the largest piece salvaged and is resting in a bath of solution to keep it from rusting anymore than it is. Both of the guns were recovered, the anchor and some chain, 100's of other smaller items, the steam engine and the remains of two sailors. We spent almost 4 hours just touring the Monitor section of the museum. You walk thru a timeline from when the Monitor was first designed and constructed, the battle of Hampton Roads where she battles the Confederate iron clad the Virginia, thru the sinking, the discovery of her resting place and the recovery. There was much more to see but we didn't spend a lot of time on the other areas.
Here are some photos of the house on Hatteras.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Boat Chores
We have been in Hampton Virginia at the Salt Ponds Marina for about five weeks now. It seems like all we have done is boat chores. It is almost like we went back to work. So far this is what we have accomplished:
Refinished all the exterior wood. We had to take some down to bare wood and reapply the Cetol Natural Teak finish. Other parts we just cleaned and recoated. We now have four coats on all of the wood surfaces.
Oiled the interior wood. The interior of the boat is mostly teak wood. Over time it dries out so we had to apply teak oil. It looks much better now. Just like new.
Replaced six house batteries. Our Lifeline AGM batteries were almost nine years old. We got plenty of use out of them but it was time to change them because they were not holding the charge. We replaced with six new Lifeline AGM group 27 100 amp hour batteries. Those suckers are heavy so we used the spare main halyard and a winch to lift them out onto the dock. We took the old ones to a auto parts store and they will dispose of them.
The light bulbs in both cockpit lazerettes were burned out so they got replaced.
The lug cover on the alternator had melted during our overheating do to the corrosion on the lug. We replaced the rubber cover. While I was doing this I accidentally touch one of the battery leads to a ground and it blew a 150 amp fuse. It took me two hours to find where the fuse was, behind the house battery switch, which had to be unscrewed and removed to see it.
My SSB radio was not transmitting as well as I would have liked so I added additional ground plane.
My anchor roller, which is made of a hard rubber, was split open. I ordered a new one and installed it.
My main anchor chain has painted marks so I can gauge how much chain is put out. The paint was coming off so we repainted it.
The fan in the head gave up so it was replaced.
I replaced the topping lift on the whisker pole with a larger line. The previous line was too small for proper handling.
We made a support to mount to the port forward stanchions in order to strap fuel jugs to. When we go over to the Bahamas we will carry additional gasoline and diesel fuel.
My Garmin chart platter accepts SD cards that have additional chart information and photos. I had two of them, one for the Florida and Bahamas area and one for Georgia to New Jersey. The Florida/Bahamas SD card was not working properly. I sent them both back to Garmin and will receive free updates for both.
Our list of work items is slowly getting whittled down. Next week we are taking off from boat life and spending the week in a beachfront house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When we get back we will be taking the boat up to Zimmerman Marine in Cardinal Virginia, about 24 miles north to get help with a hydraulic leak on my W-H auto pilot. I know the service manager there and have a lot of confidence that they can find the leak.
We did take a few days off from work when the temperature outside was really hot. It has reached 100 degrees with the THI up around 108. We went to tour some of the historical sites in the area. We have been to Historic Jamestowne, where the first colonists landed in 1607 and to Yorktown and the Yorktown battlefield where George Washington and the American and French armies defeated the British which was the end of colonialism. In the weeks to come we will be returning to the retirement life and be doing more touring. Although living on a boat and cruising is just fixing boat things in exotic places.
Refinished all the exterior wood. We had to take some down to bare wood and reapply the Cetol Natural Teak finish. Other parts we just cleaned and recoated. We now have four coats on all of the wood surfaces.
Oiled the interior wood. The interior of the boat is mostly teak wood. Over time it dries out so we had to apply teak oil. It looks much better now. Just like new.
Replaced six house batteries. Our Lifeline AGM batteries were almost nine years old. We got plenty of use out of them but it was time to change them because they were not holding the charge. We replaced with six new Lifeline AGM group 27 100 amp hour batteries. Those suckers are heavy so we used the spare main halyard and a winch to lift them out onto the dock. We took the old ones to a auto parts store and they will dispose of them.
The light bulbs in both cockpit lazerettes were burned out so they got replaced.
The lug cover on the alternator had melted during our overheating do to the corrosion on the lug. We replaced the rubber cover. While I was doing this I accidentally touch one of the battery leads to a ground and it blew a 150 amp fuse. It took me two hours to find where the fuse was, behind the house battery switch, which had to be unscrewed and removed to see it.
My SSB radio was not transmitting as well as I would have liked so I added additional ground plane.
My anchor roller, which is made of a hard rubber, was split open. I ordered a new one and installed it.
My main anchor chain has painted marks so I can gauge how much chain is put out. The paint was coming off so we repainted it.
The fan in the head gave up so it was replaced.
I replaced the topping lift on the whisker pole with a larger line. The previous line was too small for proper handling.
We made a support to mount to the port forward stanchions in order to strap fuel jugs to. When we go over to the Bahamas we will carry additional gasoline and diesel fuel.
My Garmin chart platter accepts SD cards that have additional chart information and photos. I had two of them, one for the Florida and Bahamas area and one for Georgia to New Jersey. The Florida/Bahamas SD card was not working properly. I sent them both back to Garmin and will receive free updates for both.
Our list of work items is slowly getting whittled down. Next week we are taking off from boat life and spending the week in a beachfront house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When we get back we will be taking the boat up to Zimmerman Marine in Cardinal Virginia, about 24 miles north to get help with a hydraulic leak on my W-H auto pilot. I know the service manager there and have a lot of confidence that they can find the leak.
We did take a few days off from work when the temperature outside was really hot. It has reached 100 degrees with the THI up around 108. We went to tour some of the historical sites in the area. We have been to Historic Jamestowne, where the first colonists landed in 1607 and to Yorktown and the Yorktown battlefield where George Washington and the American and French armies defeated the British which was the end of colonialism. In the weeks to come we will be returning to the retirement life and be doing more touring. Although living on a boat and cruising is just fixing boat things in exotic places.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Oriental to Hampton
Most of you knew that we were heading to Salt Ponds marina in Hampton to stay at least through July. We left Oriental on Sunday May 30th. There are two routes to get to the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Cut route or the Dismal Swamp Canal route. Everyone we talked to said that you have to do the Dismal Swamp at least once so we decided to go that way.
Our first leg from Oriental took us to Dowry Creek marina near Belhaven NC. We needed to get fuel and pump out our holding tank and this was a recommended marina from another Island Packet owner, thanks Hayden. This leg took us up the Neuse River towards Pamlico Sound. Rather than continuing up Pamlico Sound the ICW cuts off to the west and north up Bay River and into Goose Creek. That creek is mostly a small canal and it spills out into the Pamlicao River. The Pamlico River was about five miles wide. We crossed it and headed up the Pungo River to the marina. The passage was without incident and we had enough wind to sail part of the way. We stayed overnight at Dowry Creek.
On Monday, Memorial Day, we headed into the Alligator River-Pungo River canal. This canal is very narrow, about 150-200 feet wide, and has tree stumps lining the banks. We had to keep a close eye out because every once and a while there would be a tree stump right in the center of the canal. There were other boaters ahead of us and they were nice enough to call them out.
This canal exits into the Alligator River, we didn't see any, which is a pretty good size river. We continued north to a small marina which is right next to route 64. I remember from a 2005 car trip to the Outer Banks going right by this marina before we crossed the Route 64 bridge. The marina wasn't anything to brag about. However, we ended up staying there two nights do to bad weather. There were four other sail boats and eight motor trawlers waiting for good weather also.
We left the Alligator River marina on Wednesday and headed for Elizabeth City NC. This leg took us across the Albemarle Sound. We left the marina around 7:00 AM in order to cross the Sound early as the weather forecast was calling for afternoon winds around 25 knots. We were able to sail across the sound with beam winds around 12-15 knots. A perfect sailing set up. The waves in the sound were 1-2 feet and it would have been very rocky without the sails up. Having the sails up really steadies the boat. We spoke with some trawler people later that day that told us they were getting real tired to the rocky motion when they crossed the sound. After crossing Albemarle Sound we entered the Pasquotank River. There were crab pot buoys everywhere. I think we covered twice the distance we had too because of all the pot dodging we were doing.
Elizabeth City is supposed to be a nice little quaint historical town. To us it seemed pretty depressed and run down. They do have a free dock however and we tied up to the dock at the city park. This was an easy in and out for us as we were right on the end of the seawall.
We wanted to leave Elizabeth City around 6:30 AM on Thursday to make the bridge opening before 7:00. The bridge won't open on demand between 7:00 and 9:30. Right before we untied to leave the seawall two police cars pull onto the bridge and stop with there emergency lights on. I waited for a bit and they didn't leave so I called the bridge tender on the VHF to find out what was going on. He didn't even know they were on the bridge, I think I woke him up, so he went out to peruse the situation. He called me back to tell me there was an injured dog on the bridge and they were waiting for animal control. Just my luck as we needed to leave in order to make the 11:00 AM South Mills lock opening. Luckily everything cleared and we were able to get through the bridge right at 7:00.
The next 17 miles were the weirdest I have ever encountered. The upper Pasquotank River is like being in the African jungle. We felt like Kathern Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in African Queen. There was a sailboat about a quarter mile ahead of us and one about a third of a mile behind us and we could not see them for most of the route because of all the twists and turns. We could not ever see the where the canal was going because all the trees and brush blended together. It wasn't until we made Turners Cut where the canal straightens out that we finally saw the boat in front of us.
We reached the South Mills lock around 10:30 and it hadn't opened yet. We had to drop an anchor and wait in the canal for the 11:00 opening. Anchor holding was terrible and we did more maneuvering around with the motor than sitting at anchor. Very narrow at that point and we had to keep from swinging into the trees. Once the lock opened there were five boats waiting to go in. We were second. We all tied to the west wall, port side, for the 10 foot lift up to the Dismal Swamp canal level. When the water was filling into the lock the first boat was getting rocked around by the incoming current. A lesson here, never be first into a lock. Once the lock was filled with water we all exited and headed for the Dismal Swamp visitors center where there is a free seawall with room for four boats. It is expected that rafting, where boats tie up side by side, will occur. We stayed there for the night and there were six boats total. Three on the seawall and three rafted to them, we were the center boat on the seawall. The boat in front of us had clipped an overhanging tree and had small branches and leaves on her deck.
The visitors center is very nice and is also a North Carolina welcome center for traffic on Route 17. There is a state park with18 miles of hiking trails. We read warnings about ticks and decided to stay out of the woods. One of the cruisers organized a pot luck dinner that night. We all brought a dish and ate outside at a covered picnic table. All of the cruisers from the other five boats were very nice and interesting people. We had a great time telling where we had been and where we were going.
The next morning we all left together and headed for the Deep Creek lock at the northern end of the canal. Again we had to wait for about 45 minutes for them to open. This lock lowered us 10 feet and we exited. It was much quicker going down than it was raising up. We spent the next four hours heading up the Elizabeth River and out into the James River around Point Comfort, into Chesapeake Bay before entering the inlet for Salt Ponds marina.
We will stay here and do some boat work and explore what this area has to offer by land for through the end of July. Then we will make plans to explore the Chesapeake Bay area.
Here are some photos of this leg of the trip.
Dismal Swamp Canal. The canal is only about 75-100 feet wide in some spots. You have to watch the depth and the height above. The depth never got less than 6.5 feet which was good for us. Had to swerve to avoid floating logs several times.
Here is a part of the upper Pasquotank River. The canal turns at this point but you cannot see the turn until you are right on it.
The bascule bridge just after the lock.
This is the Dismal Swamp visitors center dock with boats rafted together.
The water in the Dismal Swamp is very dark. It looks like dark tea. Because of this it giver off a great reflection. This photo is looking at the tree reflection in the water.
This is the Salt Ponds inlet, photo taken from the land side looking out.
The beach just east of the marina is very nice.
As is the swimming pool.
Our first leg from Oriental took us to Dowry Creek marina near Belhaven NC. We needed to get fuel and pump out our holding tank and this was a recommended marina from another Island Packet owner, thanks Hayden. This leg took us up the Neuse River towards Pamlico Sound. Rather than continuing up Pamlico Sound the ICW cuts off to the west and north up Bay River and into Goose Creek. That creek is mostly a small canal and it spills out into the Pamlicao River. The Pamlico River was about five miles wide. We crossed it and headed up the Pungo River to the marina. The passage was without incident and we had enough wind to sail part of the way. We stayed overnight at Dowry Creek.
On Monday, Memorial Day, we headed into the Alligator River-Pungo River canal. This canal is very narrow, about 150-200 feet wide, and has tree stumps lining the banks. We had to keep a close eye out because every once and a while there would be a tree stump right in the center of the canal. There were other boaters ahead of us and they were nice enough to call them out.
This canal exits into the Alligator River, we didn't see any, which is a pretty good size river. We continued north to a small marina which is right next to route 64. I remember from a 2005 car trip to the Outer Banks going right by this marina before we crossed the Route 64 bridge. The marina wasn't anything to brag about. However, we ended up staying there two nights do to bad weather. There were four other sail boats and eight motor trawlers waiting for good weather also.
We left the Alligator River marina on Wednesday and headed for Elizabeth City NC. This leg took us across the Albemarle Sound. We left the marina around 7:00 AM in order to cross the Sound early as the weather forecast was calling for afternoon winds around 25 knots. We were able to sail across the sound with beam winds around 12-15 knots. A perfect sailing set up. The waves in the sound were 1-2 feet and it would have been very rocky without the sails up. Having the sails up really steadies the boat. We spoke with some trawler people later that day that told us they were getting real tired to the rocky motion when they crossed the sound. After crossing Albemarle Sound we entered the Pasquotank River. There were crab pot buoys everywhere. I think we covered twice the distance we had too because of all the pot dodging we were doing.
Elizabeth City is supposed to be a nice little quaint historical town. To us it seemed pretty depressed and run down. They do have a free dock however and we tied up to the dock at the city park. This was an easy in and out for us as we were right on the end of the seawall.
We wanted to leave Elizabeth City around 6:30 AM on Thursday to make the bridge opening before 7:00. The bridge won't open on demand between 7:00 and 9:30. Right before we untied to leave the seawall two police cars pull onto the bridge and stop with there emergency lights on. I waited for a bit and they didn't leave so I called the bridge tender on the VHF to find out what was going on. He didn't even know they were on the bridge, I think I woke him up, so he went out to peruse the situation. He called me back to tell me there was an injured dog on the bridge and they were waiting for animal control. Just my luck as we needed to leave in order to make the 11:00 AM South Mills lock opening. Luckily everything cleared and we were able to get through the bridge right at 7:00.
The next 17 miles were the weirdest I have ever encountered. The upper Pasquotank River is like being in the African jungle. We felt like Kathern Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in African Queen. There was a sailboat about a quarter mile ahead of us and one about a third of a mile behind us and we could not see them for most of the route because of all the twists and turns. We could not ever see the where the canal was going because all the trees and brush blended together. It wasn't until we made Turners Cut where the canal straightens out that we finally saw the boat in front of us.
We reached the South Mills lock around 10:30 and it hadn't opened yet. We had to drop an anchor and wait in the canal for the 11:00 opening. Anchor holding was terrible and we did more maneuvering around with the motor than sitting at anchor. Very narrow at that point and we had to keep from swinging into the trees. Once the lock opened there were five boats waiting to go in. We were second. We all tied to the west wall, port side, for the 10 foot lift up to the Dismal Swamp canal level. When the water was filling into the lock the first boat was getting rocked around by the incoming current. A lesson here, never be first into a lock. Once the lock was filled with water we all exited and headed for the Dismal Swamp visitors center where there is a free seawall with room for four boats. It is expected that rafting, where boats tie up side by side, will occur. We stayed there for the night and there were six boats total. Three on the seawall and three rafted to them, we were the center boat on the seawall. The boat in front of us had clipped an overhanging tree and had small branches and leaves on her deck.
The visitors center is very nice and is also a North Carolina welcome center for traffic on Route 17. There is a state park with18 miles of hiking trails. We read warnings about ticks and decided to stay out of the woods. One of the cruisers organized a pot luck dinner that night. We all brought a dish and ate outside at a covered picnic table. All of the cruisers from the other five boats were very nice and interesting people. We had a great time telling where we had been and where we were going.
The next morning we all left together and headed for the Deep Creek lock at the northern end of the canal. Again we had to wait for about 45 minutes for them to open. This lock lowered us 10 feet and we exited. It was much quicker going down than it was raising up. We spent the next four hours heading up the Elizabeth River and out into the James River around Point Comfort, into Chesapeake Bay before entering the inlet for Salt Ponds marina.
We will stay here and do some boat work and explore what this area has to offer by land for through the end of July. Then we will make plans to explore the Chesapeake Bay area.
Here are some photos of this leg of the trip.
Dismal Swamp Canal. The canal is only about 75-100 feet wide in some spots. You have to watch the depth and the height above. The depth never got less than 6.5 feet which was good for us. Had to swerve to avoid floating logs several times.
Here is a part of the upper Pasquotank River. The canal turns at this point but you cannot see the turn until you are right on it.
The bascule bridge just after the lock.
This is the Dismal Swamp visitors center dock with boats rafted together.
The water in the Dismal Swamp is very dark. It looks like dark tea. Because of this it giver off a great reflection. This photo is looking at the tree reflection in the water.
This is the Salt Ponds inlet, photo taken from the land side looking out.
The beach just east of the marina is very nice.
As is the swimming pool.
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