11/2/14
Southport NC
Posted by Bill

Yesterday the weather came in with a vengeance…hail, pouring rain, and wind all day. We didn’t let that get us down and we walked 2+ miles going to lunch in town, and also getting a document printed. By the time we made it back to the boat our pants and shoes were completely soaked. Not the better side of living on a boat.

Today, we had sunny skies but highs only in the low 50s and lots of wind. We walked to breakfast in town and then along the waterfront. We ran into this guy with a OSU hat on and struck up a conversation with him and his wife. They were from Dublin, Ohio and moved here 2 years ago. They told us about their cool subdivision and how much they loved living here. The subdivision was a little over a mile from our marina and the waterfront downtown, and it was composed of new build construction cottages, and we decided to go check it out. It turned out to be really nice…so nice we are going to stay an extra day here to do more due diligence.

The marina holds a session every day at 6PM that talks about the weather for the next 3-4 days, passage planning for ocean passages from the Cape Fear River, and also conditions in the ICW going south to Savannah GA. The ICW talk scared the crap out of us. There are many sections that are so shallow that they can only be attempted during high tide. That’s going to put a difficult spin on passage planning. One couple in the briefing said that they used the ICW in the spring and it was so badly shoaled in some areas, that they are going to do all ocean passages and never use the ICW again…wow!

After the briefing we walked to dinner and froze our asses off. The locals told us that this is as cold as it ever gets during the year and everyone is complaining that it has hit so soon. Good news is that it will be in the 70s again in a few days. Glad we have heat on the boat.

Some pictures of the waterfront in Southport:

And the marina:

Not quite sunset:

10/31/14
Southport NC, ICW
Position: 33 55.054N, 78 01.685W
Posted by Bill

We only had a short hop of 12.5 nautical miles to go today and we wanted to time the tides for our journey, so we walked to breakfast and walked the beach for a few hours before we left. Carolina Beach was the first place I experienced the ocean as a kid and I like like beach here a lot, so this was fun even though it was only 65 degrees and windy as hell. We stopped and bought some shrimp where the boats come in with their catch and then back to the boat. I had more time to take a few pictures of the marina here:


Some really cool houses along the marina:

Looking south into Carolina Beach downtown:

Island Bound at the dock:

The beach:

We motored out of the marina and into Snow’s Cut which leads into the Cape Fear River. The tide was coming in, but the current in Snow’s cut runs opposite of the Cape Fear River, and we shot off like a rocket (in sailboat perspective) going 9.2 knots. Once we hit the river we had opposing tide and a 20 knot wind behind us. This slowed us to 4.8 knots and even 3.9 at one point, and the winds created a healthy chop. It was a beautiful day.
Snow’s Cut:

Cape Fear River:

We visited Southport many years ago while on a business trip and really fell in love with the town. It is steeped in history and has the charm of an old southern sea port. The historic homes are well kept and there are lots of restaurants and shops. I have been looking forward to spending a few days here since we left our dock in Lake Erie. The marina here is really nice too. It was pretty packed and we saw lots of boats that we have been traveling with since we left Portsmouth. There are 2 weather fronts moving through in the next couple of days, with winds over 40 knots and temperatures falling into the 30’s at night. Glad to be tied to a dock and run the heater.
Coming in to Southport:



Pictures from our dock and of the marina:

We walked into town and had an outstanding dinner, watching the trick-or-treaters along the way. It reminded us of our grandkids and made us miss them even more. One lady said hello to us as she was waiting for the next group of kids, and asked us if we were trick-or-treating. We said “we could be” and she gave us our pick of candy…lol. It was a nice evening and the temperature was in the low 60’s…love that!

Today’s sunset at the marina:

10/30/14
Carolina Beach NC, ICW
Position: 34 08.559N, 77 58.265W
Posted by Bill

Said goodbye to the New River and motored to Carolina Beach. We had 3 bridge openings to make, the first opens on the hour, the second on the hour and half hour, and the third on the hour. Trying to time them based on the tidal currents was interesting. We missed the first opening by about 20 minutes even though we left Sneads Ferry early. We thought we caught a lucky break when a tug needed an opening 10 minutes after the 9:00 opening. Commercial traffic gets a special opening, but we missed the window by 5 minutes and the bridge tender wouldn’t hold it open for us….bummer.

We circle around for 40 minutes, make the next bridge opening and then have to slow to a crawl to make the last one which was only 4.3 miles away. Let me tell you it is not easy to hold our boat in a controlled position for 40 minutes in wind and a 2 knot current.

Most of the scenery was beautiful homes along the ICW and Carolina Beach resorts on the other side.

ICW:

Going through the Surf City swing bridge:

Figure 8 Island where all the rich people hang:

Wrightsville Beach:

Wrightsville Beach lift bridge:

We ended up at Joyner Marina at Carolina Beach:

Tricia’s aunt Doris and cousin Jane who live nearby, came to the boat to visit and we had a happy hour on the boat. Then Doris treated us to dinner at Freddies in Kure Beach. It was awesome and it was great fun to hang with the girls. It was nice that they came to us, since we have no car. They are fun people!

The alternator worked after the first 3 hours of our passage today…what is up with the damn alternator? I can almost hear it say “na na na na boo boo, just try and figure me out”.

Cool for me to be in Carolina Beach. Makes me think of vacations as a kid and my first experience in the ocean.

By the way….we really are missing our friends and family…not kidding….we do!

10/29/14
New River, Sneads Ferry NC
Position: 34 32.600N, 77 21.616W
Posted by Bill

We left Beaufort this morning with joy in our hearts, thinking that I solved the alternator problem. It ran correctly for 2/3rds of our trip today, only to revert to the new normal…intermittent charging. Sunrise was outstanding:

The passage today had lots of traffic, starting with a war ship coming in from sea:

We had to stay the hell out of the way of this big boy.

As we motored past Morehead City we saw lots of big ships again:


After Moorehead City, we cruised through Bogue Sound, which had huge homes to the west and the barrier islands and beaches to the east:

The string of mansions went for at least 20 miles.
We saw pods of dolphins again today:

They were really close today. And also saw Egrets:

And then some abandoned military equipment:

As we came close to Camp Lejune, we could hear the firing. They blocked the ICW off until noon so they could complete their firing exercises.

There was a long line of boats heading south, it was incredible. Here is the group we went through the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge with:

As we came in to the New River Inlet we ducked into one of the only anchorages in this section of the ICW, called Mile Hammock Bay. It is on the south side of Camp Lejeune and is known to be an anchorage of poor holding. We pulled in and the place was packed with boats. We tried to anchor in the southern portion of the dredged area but could not get the anchor to set (probably why there was still open space where we tried to anchor). We dropped back to the north side and set the anchor, but we were really close to other boats, and the swing proximity of the boats at anchor could have caused collisions. We didn’t like the spot, and didn’t have any other room, so we bolted for a marina. There are only 2 in the New River area, one was full so we went to New River Marina…another version of deliverance county, but the people were really nice and we were alone on the fuel dock. A few minutes after we docked, another power boat came in for fuel, and then that was it. Nice and quiet.

I was walking back from the bathroom when a pickup truck pulled up beside me and asked if I was on that boat, pointing to the fuel dock. I said yes, and the guy went ballistic, pointing his finger and yelling in a rage of anger that could easily invoke a stroke or heart attack. He accused me of causing a huge wake that almost tipped the local fishing boats over and told me of a story where a local guy got capsized from a boat wake and was killed. Part of the conversation went like this:
Guy: “You people need to think about others. They shoot people in North Carolina for doing that”
Me: “Doing what?”
Guy:”Driving a boat like that. You should be ashamed. You should have your ass kicked. They shoot people in North Carolina for that!”
Me:”Look…I am sorry but I don’t know what I did.” I am thinking…I have a sailboat…I can’t make a wake that would tip your beer over let alone capsize someone.
Guy:”Don’t give me that. You don’t know how to drive or you are stupid and ignorant…blah, blah, blah”
I want to choke this guy, but I had visions of him getting his red neck fishing buddies in the middle of the night at messing up our boat with crow bars. So I ignore him and walk back to the boat. I take one step on to the boat and he says:
“You are on the sailboat?”
Me:”Yes”
Guy:”Sorry man…I meant this power boat” (the one fueling next to us) And he proceeds to rain the wrath of hell on these guys for making a wake. He was really pissed off and I had visions of a mass shooting! He took off and everything mellowed out, which is the normal state of life in Sneads Ferry. It is a very laid back and beautiful place. We talked to several of the locals and they were very friendly and trustworthy. Many were retired military. Nothing fancy here, but nice and quiet, and very beautiful. Glad we tied up here. A piece of paradise in it’s own right. I’ll try to get some pics of the marina in the morning and post tomorrow…what a hoot!

10/28/14
Beaufort NC, ICW, Town Creek Marina
Position: 34 43.516N, 76 39.898W
Posted by Bill

I started the day with troubleshooting the alternator problems. Following the manual I did a step by step check as specified, and arrived at the notorious “call customer support”. Tricia did some laundry and I washed the boat. Another beautiful day with a high around 77. We left Oriental and transited Adams Creek to Beaufort. Adams creek was really picturesque with the pine tree shore lines:

As we worked our way south, we started to see more and more houses:


Some were pretty impressive. Adams Creek was cool but at several points in the middle of the channel our depth sounder went to 0! I don’t think we went aground but it was a sphincter puckering event for sure!

As we came out of Adams Creek we had our first dolphin sighting just off the starboard beam:

We saw several pairs of them. It was exciting! We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to see them.

We made the turn into the Town Creek area where we were going to grab a slip at Town Creek Marina. We wanted to pump out our holding tank first, so we got directions via the marine radio. The directions she gave didn’t jive with the guy waiting for us on the dock, and for good reason. She was taking us right across a shoal and we ran aground in mud. I was able to back it off and follow the directions from the guy on the dock, which were good. Then we went to our slip. Man it is tight in these slips, and you are docking with wind and currents…I was glad to get Island Bound in to the slip and have a drink!

We walked into town and checked out the main drag along the waterfront. Lots of bars, restaurants, and shopping. Beaufort has so much history with pirates, wars and just general sailing scalawags! We chowed on shrimp and came back to the boat. I guess we are going to have to limp along with the intermittent alternator, because the marine services team here is swamped. They said this is the largest group of people going south that they have seen in a long time…maybe forever. Hard to figure out why…duh…snow coming this Friday in northern Ohio…mid 70s here.

The main drag in Beaufort NC:

10/27/14
Oriental NC, ICW
Position: 35 01.785N, 76 40.890W
Posted by Bill

We traversed a little over 40 nautical miles today, a pretty normal day for our travels, ending up in Oriental NC, in Whitaker Creek. We have been hearing and reading so much about Oriental, and how many cruisers end up here when they are done living on their boats, and our expectations were high. The passage was really nice, warm, sunny, light winds. We traveled through part of the Pamlico sound and some pretty treacherous passages when the wind is crazy bad. We lucked out today.

Along the way we picked up a stowaway…a small sparrow. It landed on the boat and tried to hide from us, jumping around the boat. It looked like it was injured as it would jump from spot to spot on the boat and not be able to fly away.

We landed at Whitaker Point Marina and it is extremely nice. Part of their amenities include a free shuttle car that we used to make a run to the liquor store. We were down to our last bottle of vodka… heaven forbid!!! We stocked up and went to the grocery and marine store, making it back in time for sunset. This marina is very very nice.


Oriental was not what it was hyped to be but is a nice town.

Today’s drama was courtesy of the alternator that charges our batteries when the engine is running. It has been intermittently not charging. The intermittent nature makes it very tough to pinpoint the problem and deal with it, and today it just plain didn’t work. The batteries were really low after a night anchored out, so I set up the generator that we use to charge the batteries when anchored out, running it while we were motoring. The last 45 minutes, I disconnected the generator and the alternator did it’s job. I’ll dig in to it more tomorrow..

All of the people we meet living on their boat say the same thing…something is always breaking! The nature of boats.

Another nice sunset:

10/26/14
Bellhaven, NC, ICW
Position: 35 32.023N, 76 37.370W
Posted by Bill

From the Aligator River, we entered the Aligator-Pungo River Canal. It is really remote, and they tell you in the cruising guide that you had better stay in the channel because the edges are fraught with obstructions, both seen and unseen. It was pretty damn boring for the most part, but because it was protected, we had a break from the NW winds that were blowing like snot (still). It got up to 78 degrees today…shorts and T-shirts baby!!

When we left the canal and entered the Pungo River, the wind protection ended and we got our asses kicked again by 25+ knot winds. I gotta tell you…I am getting tired of that!

We anchored in Bellhaven with some minor protection from the wind and anchored. Most everyone else went somewhere else with more protection, but I believed that the winds were going to die down in the late afternoon as forecasted. Besides, after 2 days in “Deliverance County” we needed to see the town…all 2 streets. It is actually a nice waterfront and the town is trying to appeal to the cruising community. We ate at Jack’s and the foot was very very good. A bit of news for the other people wanting to cruise here: The free dock is not free anymore, but they are thinking of making it free again; and, you can in fact get to the docks if you draw 6 feet or less.

For people that don’t know, the ICW is maintained by the Army Core of Engineers. It was originally developed for military travel via the water, but has become a major waterway for commercial and pleasure craft as an alternative to traversing open ocean waters. The most traveled portion is from Norfolk VA to Key West FL. The waterway is measured in statute miles and everyone refers to locations along the way by mile marker. Here is a pic of a mile marker:

Pictures along the Aligator-Pungo River Canal:



(yes that is a deer, and they swim across the canal)

(the edges are sand…yea! that means close to the beach!)

This was how high all of the bridges were today.

Pics of Bellhaven and today’s sunset:




Notice that it did calm down as forecasted and we had a beautiful, secluded anchorage to view the sunset. Now to get some sleep!

10/25/14
Aligator River, NC ICW
Position: 35 39.9N, 76 02.163W
Posted by Bill

Leaving Coinjock (where did they get that name anyway??), we traversed a remote area of North Carolina between the mainland and the Outer Banks. Some of it was wooded, most comprised of marshes, and we also traveled across Albemarle Sound. This part of the trip can be a real ass kicking if the winds are up. Fortuneately for us…it was beautiful and warm.

We settled at the bottom of the Aligator River for the night. The winds had picked up out of the NE and were forecasted to get up in the 20 knot range after midnight, move to the south and then to the NW. Try picking a spot that will protect you from all of those wind directions in one night’s stay! So we did the best, giving consideration that we needed room to drag anchor a little (hopefully a little) as the wind shifted direction each time. It got a little rough, but we held pretty good. I got up every couple of hours and checked the anchor status which sucked, but I was rewarded by a sky full of stars like I have never seen before. It was unbelievable!

The worst problem is that we had no cell converage…not even voice network. I didn’t think such a place existed any more, but it is there. Hence, blog postings are late again.

Aligator River Swing Bridge:

Sunset: