April 4, 2010

Easy day today.  Only a six-hour cruise from Cricket Cove Marina, north of Myrtle Beach, to Southport, NC.  Of course, that meant going through a pontoon bridge and a swing bridge and attempting to hold position against the current with two trawlers and four sailboats also waiting for the bridge opening.  It was interesting to listen to sailboaters from Canada trying to understand the heavy drawl  of the bridge tender .  Fred and I looked at each other and said, "What did he say? They'll never figure that out if we can't!"

We arrived early afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day.  It was in the low 80s with a great breeze.  We had an interesting Easter dinner at "Fishy, Fishy," a restaurant on the canal within walking distance of the marina.  It was a little different having local grilled tuna for me and, as Fred says, anything but fish for him!  

We are aiming for Topsail, NC tomorrow, which will be an eight-hour cruise, depending on the prevailing current.  Hope all of you had a wonderful Easter.

 

April 5, 2010

Made it to Topsail, NC  this afternoon after an eight-hour journey.  Uneventful, except for a slow go because of the recurring opposing current.   Again waited for two swing bridge openings, one on the hour and the other on the half hour.  Of course, we don't go fast enough to make them in succession, so we wander around and wait for the next appointed time.    On the up side, It did give us a chance to watch dolphins swimming alongside the boat, as well as learning how good pelicans are at diving for fish and swallowing them whole. 

The home above is just one of hundreds of mini-castles we've seen along the Waterway.   However, there is also evidence of an economic downturn in the Carolinas, because we've also seen many For Sale signs.  The ship pictured was docked near the Wrightsville Bridge.  I hope it has owners who appreciate her, but how much fun can it be when you have to use an intercom to locate one another?  Our Cape Dory may be small, but she has absolutely everything we need, and we don't need an on-board crew to operate her!

We're just going to start out tomorrow and go until we find someplace interesting to spend the night.   What a great way to travel! 

 

 

April 6, 2010

We traveled up to Bogue Sound in Swansboro, NC.  Beautiful ride along the ICW today as we passed through bays, inlets, rivers and sounds.  We again saw many dolphins lazily rolling out of the water.  A familiar sight was the birds making nests on the markers, just like they do in the Chesapeake.  We watched them carrying sticks and long strands of moss from the shore. 

 There have also been several areas where people are digging for clams.  The clams are often found in the areas exposed at low tide, adjacent to the Waterway, as you can see in the picture above.   One more reason to keep a sharp lookout for the boundaries of the ICW.   We passed by Camp Lejeune, but thankfully they didn't close the Waterway for small-weapons firing and beach-landing exercises .    

We had winds on our stern for most of the day, increasing to 25 knots (30 MPH) by the time we docked.  They continue to howl and are expected to last throughout the night and into tomorrow.  Hopefully, they will help push us toward Oriental, NC, our next destination. 

 

April 7, 2010

Yeah, we actually motor-sailed today!  The jib, along with the wind, helped propel us into past Beaufort, NC through Pamlico Sound on our way to Oriental, NC.  A nice ride, and the temperature has been perfect on the water.  The natives in Oriental claim that "Oriental isn't at the end of the world, but you can see it from there.  Stand on the lawn at Lou Mac Park and look to your left, and you'll see the earth fall away below the edge of the Pamlico Sound.  Somewhere beneath the horizon lies Oracoke Island, and beyond that, England.  So while Oriental isn't really at land's end, it does have that feel."

 Tomorrow, our plan is to motor or sail or both to Belhaven, NC; that is, if we can get out of this slip with the wind! 

 

Is this what they mean by "birds of a feather flock together”?

April 8, 2010

We arrived at Belhaven, NC after nice big rollers in the Neuse River, Bay River, Pamlico Sound, and into the Pungo River.  Fred said if he ignored the land visible on each side, he could pretend he was in the ocean.  If he had a more adventurous mate, I'm sure that's where we'd be!

The marina in Dowry Creek was very interesting.  There is a clubhouse where we joined other slipmates and resident boat people for a potluck dinner.  Very nice marina, very friendly people, in spite of the gusty 40-mile-per-hour winds and lightning overnight. 

We had no connectivity to the world at Belhaven, as cell phones didn't work and we didn't have a wireless connection.  Now we're back on line.  Tomorrow,  we're pressing on to the Alligator River, if the weather allows.

 

 

April 9, 2010

We are determined to reach the Chesapeake Bay next week.  What other reason could there be to leave in a rainstorm and with reduced visibility?  Crazy, that's what!  After nine hours of periodic rain, partial sun, gusty winds, and calm air in the tree-lined canals, we arrived at Alligator River Marina, located at the mouth of the Alligator River.  We're ready to tackle Albemarle Sound tomorrow, which is a very unpredictable body of water.   Hope we can sail across, as it makes the passage more enjoyable.

Our big decision tomorrow morning is whether to travel to Norfolk via the Dismal Swamp again or to go  the Virginia Cut route.  Much depends on wind and wave forecasts   Boat traffic is much lighter than we expected, so wind is the determining factor.  Isn't it always with a sailor? 

 

Beauty amidst debris

 

April 10, 2010

After consulting weather forecasters and the local homespun prognosticators, we decided to travel north via the Virginia Cut instead of the Dismal Swamp.  We prepared last night for wind and waves in the Albemarle Sound.   Fred unbagged the sails and we secured items in the cabin and were ready for unstable conditions.  Well, he was totally disgusted.   We had three hours of waves of about one foot and such minimal wind that it was almost monotonous.  I'll have to admit that yours truly wasn't all that unhappy.  He claimed that he would have gotten beaten up more if he had taken my merlot!

We arrived at Coinjock, NC mid-afternoon and watched in amazement as much larger boats tied up at the dock.  Many seemed fascinated with the Cape Dory, however, so we had a steady stream of visitors.

We will leave bright and early tomorrow morning in an attempt to get to Norfolk, VA.  It's a little doubtful, because we have to go through the Great Bridge Lock, plus six scheduled bridge openings.  Just another day of adventure in an interesting part of the country!