Day Twelve - Friday, 30 November

Well we were aground again...this time at anchor. We pulled into Mile Hammock last night and anchorage was deserted except for one other boat. We had plenty of room in this large, well-protected anchor basin, the wind was calm and the water was flat. We lowered the anchor into more than 7 feet of water, let out more than 50' of chain, snubbed the anchor rode and went below. Sometime around 3:00 AM, the anchor alarm went off, so we got up checked the anchor and the anchorage. All was well, the wind and water were calm and our boat hadn't moved, so we went back to bed. By 6:00 AM, the wind was 20-25 knots from the NE and we were in 2.5 feet of water. Sometime between 3 and 6:00 AM, the anchor dragged when the wind shifted and grew stronger and we ended up being blown back toward the shallow end of the anchorage, aground at low tide. As if to reinforce our predicament, a small boat came into the anchorage and a fisherman jumped out of the boat and began wading toward us.

Woody Sherrod called and opened the conversation with a question: "You're aground, aren't you?" and "I'll be right over!" Within a few minutes, Woody dinghied up and made a few depth soundings with his portable depth sounder. We were only a few feet from 7 feet of water, so with Woody pushing on Windreka's bow with his dinghy and me at Windreka's throttle working the engine gear shift and throttle and our bow thruster, we managed to get off the shelf and floating again. Within minutes we were on our way again and the rest of the day was without incident.

A short time after we left the Mile Hammock anchorage, the sun came out and Sarah was almost able to get her full daily dose of sunshine. We were relaxing and enjoying the morning sunshine as we were motoring along in the vicinity of the New River Inlet. Suddenly we ran into pods of dolphins that would approach Windreka and swim alongside of her in pairs or singles. It's always a thrill to encounter these wild sea creatures in their natural habitat and have them swimming along beside our boat as if we were old friends

By 2:30 PM we were at anchor in the Wrightsville Beach anchorage and making plans for grocery shopping, a run to West Marine, and dinner with friends Marily and Allan DeWall who own a condominium here between the anchorage and the ocean.

Sunrise at Wrightsville Beach...................................................................................and sunset!

Day Eleven – Thursday, 29 November

We are at Mile Hammock tonight. Skipper Bob’s Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway describes the anchorage this way:

“Mile 244.5, {3.6}, Mile Hammock Bay, (34421): Basin dredged out by military for use with Camp LeJeune. Popular anchorage between Morehead City and Wrightsville Beach. Eastern half of basin not dredged! Note marker buoys on chart. Entrance channel and basin dredged to >8’ MLW May 01. Anchor in 10-12’. Use anchor light at night due to military maneuvers. Shoreline is restricted military property. (#4, 12, 52)”

Skipper Bob’s information is accurate and detailed and we use this and some of the other references we mentioned in an earlier post extensively. There is a vast amount of information available for the ICW cruiser, and yet…here it comes…not everything can be predicted.

Today…despite the information readily available…we ran aground. Today…despite the experience of many years of sailing…we ran aground. And I don’t mean just aground. We ran firmly aground and it took many years of sailing experience to get us off. Here’s what happened.
There is a notorious section of the ICW we crossed today near Camp LeJeune where there has been much information published about shoaling and how to avoid the problem. We noted the information and yet when our turn came, we ran aground. We had stopped to refuel at Casper’s just before mile marker 230 and Woody had gone ahead in Marisol. About an hour later, he reported passing the notorious area and had indeed seen shallow water under his keel. He passed a temporary buoy, “61A” on the proper side and had made it through without a problem. He also reported watching a sailboat as big as ours passing the same buoy on the improper side and watching it make it through without a problem. The proper way to pass a green buoy is to keep the buoy to your port (left) side, so we decided to do the practical thing…when it was our turn, we would keep the buoy on our starboard (right) side.

As we approached the notorious “61A” buoy, there were two other large sailboats trying unsuccessfully to pass the buoy on the improper side…keeping it on their right or starboard side. As we got closer, the two boats began motoring north, warning us of the low water as we passed. Because these two sailboats had been having difficulty, we decided to go back to basics and pass the buoy on the proper side, keeping to our left (port) side. We were only about 10’ away from the buoy when we suddenly saw 2.5’ beneath us as we ran aground. We need 5’ and we were now firmly stuck in 2.5 feet of mud and it took almost 20 minutes to get us free.

To paraphrase a famous saying, “It happens!” We had ignored lots of good advice and that was the major reason we had a problem. The good news is that it only delayed us about a half hour and the anchorage was only a few miles beyond where we got stuck. Within an hour, we were anchored in this quiet little cove with two other boats…one our sailing buddy and the other a potential new friend!

If Running Aground Wasn't Enough, the Marines Threatened to Shoot At Us!

The rest of the day was uneventful. We left the Sanitary Restaurant dock in Morehead City in overcast skies and light rain. As we entered the ICW, a light fog settled in and visibility dropped to about a mile. We motored with running lights on as we made it our way along a very narrow channel with shallow water on both sides. After a couple of hours, the sun began shining through and the fog lifted…life was good!

We stopped for diesel fuel and took on almost 70 gallons. A quick calculation tells us that Windreka consumes 1.5 gallons of diesel fuel every hour the motor is running. That allows us to motor at a speed of just under 10 miles per hour…not too fast, but just fast enough.

The View From Our "Office"

Day Ten - Wednesday, 28 November

Tonight we ended the day tied up to the dock at the Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City, NC...a run of 45 miles. There is room for only three boats and Marisol and Windreka are tied up along with a classic wooden schooner that pulled in after we did. We passed under the US 70 and Beaufort and Morehead City Railroad Bridges and arrived at the dock at 2:30 PM. Woody and Joe got a ride to the Morehead City West Marine store furnished by the manager, Steve. Woody needed Racor filters to keep cleaning the dirty fuel he took on some time ago and Joe needed a new VHF cockpit microphone and a new rechargeable handheld VHF radio to replace the broken and aging ones we've been trying to use, missing calls, etc.

Windreka departed Bear Creek anchorage at 7:15 AM and followed Marisol who had departed the R.E. Mayo dock and passed us as we were raising our anchor. Windreka makes a little better speed than Marisol and so we caught up with her toward the end of the day.

We spent most of the day on the Neuse River with the NE wind either on our port side or behind us. It was a rocking rolling trip down the river but at least we were going south instead of bashing into the waves like the tug and barge at left. We were happy to turn into the Adams Creek Canal and Adams Creek where we had the shelter of the surrounding trees. At the end of Adams Creek we emerged into a strong tidal current at Core Creek. We crossed the shallows surrounding the channels leading to Beaufort, NC to the north and Morehead City, NC to the south. We made almost a U-turn around the Terminals to find the channel on the south side and the Sanitary Restaurant dock on our Starboard side. With the wind trying to push us away from the town dock, we tied up at the restaurant and squared away the boat.

This Boat Discovered A Really Bad Way to End the Day

After our trip to West Marine, we had a fresh seafood meal in the restaurant and returned to the boat to get ready for departure tomorrow. It's a simple life we are leading now and our schedule is driven by the need to move the boat during daylight hours...hence the early rising and early to bed...and the urge to keep warm now that the temperature has shifted to more seasonal cooler weather again...fair but cool.

Our floating "village" today consisted of only Marisol and Windreka and respective crews. We remained in radio contact with most of them, but their destination was Oriental, NC...a popular stop for ICW cruisers. Our schedule is driven by the need to get Windreka to Dataw Island Marina so we can get home for the holidays.

Day Nine – Tuesday, 27 November

Cruising on the ICW is as much a social activity as it is an adventure. We’ve found ourselves a full-fledged member of a small floating village consisting of up to seven boats. Yesterday evening, there were seven of us at the Tuckahoe Point anchorage at the head of the Alligator River – Pungo River Canal. All of us left at about the same time…she slower boats first and the faster boats a little later. Tonight our “village” consists of three boats…Marisol and Dream Quest tied up to the R.E. Mayo shrimpers dock about two miles back…and Windreka alone at an anchorage on Bear Creek about a mile off ICW mile marker 160.

The itinerary for today was:

• Tuckahoe Point anchorage west to the mouth of the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal
• Twenty-two miles southwest then south into the Pungo River
• Twenty-one miles southwest into the Pamlico River
• Two miles south into Goose Creek and the mouth of the Bay River
• Bear Creek anchorage to west of "27"
  

The Good Side of Commercial Traffic

Woody, Don and Nancy are eating fresh shrimp at the R.E. Mayo dock and we are eating tacos. We have too much food aboard to buy any of the local seafood…a lesson we will remember next time through. But, no worries, mates! We’ll have plenty of time to buy and eat inexpensive, fresh shrimp when we return after the Christmas holidays.

We made over 55 miles today starting at 0730 under a sunny sky and light winds. Later in the morning the wind rose to 25-35 knots from the west…on our nose of course as we motored along the Alligator River – Pungo River Canal. By the time we exited the canal, the wind was getting lighter, the sun was still shining brightly and we were in short sleeved shirts in the enclosed cockpit of our boat…altogether a very enjoyable day in phenomenal weather.

Sunrise at Bear Creek Sunset at Bear Creek
After we crawled our way back into the secluded, protected anchorage…thanks to our new Garmin chartplotter…we settled into our routine of sitting for awhile in the cockpit enjoying the scenery and relaxing as the afternoon turns into evening and the sun gets low on the horizon, By sunset, we are down below and planning our next day’s route. Dinner is cooked and eaten by 7:30 PM and we are settled in to bed early most nights. Sarah usually by 9:00 PM and Joe posting our web log and trying to finish up before the evening news. We have satellite radio, CDs, DVDs and television to entertain us. TV reception varies from very good to barely acceptable. Cellular telephone…so far…has been very good with a couple of exceptions. Broadband access is the big surprise. With the exception of last night, we’ve had internet access at every anchorage and marina we’ve stayed at for the past month and a half.

After a pleasant couple of days, it’s starting to get cooler again. Tomorrow is supposed to be fair and mild and it will get cooler toward the end of the week…but then we hope to be at least 200 miles further south, so we’ll see how much warmer weather we can gather to keep ourselves warm. We’re planning on being south of Morehead City, NC tomorrow evening this time. We’re trying to be a bit more aggressive without disrupting the pleasure of this trip since we want to be home for the holidays and not be too rushed either getting to Hilton Head or getting ready for the holidays…no small balancing act, but we're doing our best!

Day Eight - Monday, 26 November

Despite the weather, we made much southward progress today…approximately 45 miles from Broad Creek at ICW mile marker 61 to Tuckahoe Point near the entrance to the Pungo River – Alligator River Canal near mile marker 105. After a start in overcast skies, variable winds and moderate temperatures, we found ourselves in high south winds…gusting to 45 knots…on the nose of course…about ten miles from the anchorage. Rain and fog rolled in and we motored carefully through the limited visibility with running lights and steaming lights on. Juniper’s Smile, an Island Packet motored along with us and reported a strong signal from our new radar reflectors. They also provided some welcome “eyes” with their radar since our old radar was useless…one more item to add to the list of new things to fix on the boat.

We left Broad Creek at 0730 in the company of Dream Quest and followed Woody Sherrod on Marisol. We caught up with him mid-way across Albemarle Sound and passed him as we approached the Alligator River. At the Alligator River Swing Bridge, Woody on Marisol and Don and his wife on Dream Quest peeled off to refuel and fill up water tanks at the marina just before the bridge. We continued on through the bridge ahead of them.

As we approached land at the entrance to the Pungo River - Alligator River Canal, the wind shifted to the west, the fog lifted and the rain stopped and we were able to find our way along the channel to the anchorage with no difficulty. To protect ourselves from the forecast of windy conditions, we moved well up past Tuckahoe Point, groping our way through a narrow channel and shallow water. We went about a mile up into the channel to find protection against the gusty winds which were predicted to shift to the south before morning.We were first into the anchorage at 2:30 PM and were joined by several other boats about an hour later…including Marisol, Dream Quest, and Watercolors who anchored to the West of us. We have limited cell phone coverage and no broadband access from the anchorage, so this post was posted to our web log one day late.

A Useful ICW Tool

Day Seven - Sunday, 25 November

Somewhere Along the ICW

We use a variety of sources for information about navigating and cruising on the ICW. There is general consensus about the best resources and they include Skipper Bob's booklets about cruising; Claiborne Young's Cruising Guides; the Waterway Cruising Guides; the Chesapeake Bay Cruising Guide; the Cockpit Cruising Handbook to the IntraCoastal Waterway; the IntraCoastal Waterway Chartbook; etc. However, the best and most reliable source is still the "local knowledge" a cruiser obtains from someone who has been "out there!"

Today was one of those days when local knowledge was invaluable. We are cruising in the company of a friend, Woody Sherrod, who has been up and down the ICW and although he will tell you/us "it's been a long time," his local knowledge is accurate and helpful. We tapped into it this evening as a light fog was settling in on us as we were cruising down the North River in North Carolina after leaving the Coinjock area behind us. We were in the lead boat of four and had made our plans to all head for Broad Creek. However, as the fog rolled in and it began to rain, we conferred on the radio and decided the four boat flotilla would split up. We were close to Broad Creek with "Dream Quest" just behind us. Woody on "Marisol" and "Watercolors." the boat behind him were several miles back and just had time to pull into one of the anchorages at Buck Island, also on the North River. By the time the rain and fog had settled around us, we were all at anchor thanks to Woody's local knowledge.

We pulled in our lines at 7:30 AM this morning from the bulkhead between the Great Bridge Highway Bridge and the Great Bridge Lock where we were all tied up last night. Just before the Great Bridge opening at 8:00 AM, were all lined up to motor under the bridge to head further south. Bridge openings are one of the ICW activities we look forward to. The bridge tenders are always helpful and when bridges are close together, the bridge tenders communicate between themselves to let each other know how many boats and what type...sail or power...are heading toward the next bridge. This contributes to smooth, professional operations and minimizes disruption of bridge openings to local traffic. The bridge opening protocols are published in the cruising resources and boaters and bridge tenders work together to keep the water traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. It's a unique experience to participate in these activities.

Yesterday and today, we motored past one of the largest concentration of bridges on the ICW. Between Norfolk, VA and Coinjock, NC there are the following fourteen bridges and one lock:

1. Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Lift Bridge
2. Jordan Highway Lift Bridge
3. Norfolk Southern Railroad Lift Bridge
4. Gilmerton Highway Double Bascule Bridge
5. Norfolk Southern Railroad Single Bascule Bridge
6. Interstate Route 64 Double Bascule Highway Bridge
7. Dominion Boulevard "Steel" Double Bascule Bridge
8. Great Bridge Lock
9. Great Bridge Highway Double Bascule Bridge
10. Great Bridge Highwy Fixed Bridge
11. Norfolk Southern Railroad Single Bascule Bridge
12. Centerville Turnpike Single Pivot Swing Bridge
13. North Landing Route 165 Highway Double Pivot Swing Bridge
14. Route 726 Highway Fixed Bridge
15. Coinjock Highway Fixed Bridge

Centerville Turnpike Single Pivot Swing Bridge - Behind Dream Quest

The "fixed" bridges are generally all 65' high and Windreka's 60' boat clearance allows us to motor under the span. So far no strange breaking sounds have been heard. The other bridges and lock have to be "negotiated" as outlined above.

60 Feet of Boat and Mast Under a 65 Foot Bridge

Coinjock is an Indian name for the berries that grow wild in the area. It's also the name of a popular stop for ICW cruisers. We elected to keep going today since it was too early to stop for the day when we passed by. After leaving Coinjock, we were about a mile behind Dream Quest as she was entering the cut through Long Point between Currituck Sound and Coinjock Bay, when we suddenly became aware she wasn't moving. As we approached, it looked as if she had strayed out of the channel and when were abeam, her skipper confirmed it. He didn't think he and his wife could break free without assistance, so we circled and approached them and Sarah threw them a line. With Windreka's eighteen inch, three bladed propeller in reverse, we pulled them loose in the finest tradition of the sea...one boat never ignores another in distress. It felt good to help and they asked us to take the lead as we motored toward the anchorage at Broad Creek.

Other than Dream Quest's grounding, the day was uneventful and we spent another relaxing day together in the cockpit getting accustomed to this cruising life. Tonight we took advantage of the hot water warmed by the engine and took showers, watched some television, cooked dinner, checked email, updated the weblog and turned in for a solid eight hours of sleep. Tomorrow we begin again at first light and...weather permitting...cross Albamarle Sound, run down the Alligator River and turn into the anchorage atTuckahoe Point at the head of the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal.

So far our internet access via our Verizon Broadband card and account has been excellent. However, it probably will not be as good as we head across the Carolinas, so we may not be able to update this weblog each night. We will keep a log and as soon as we regain access, we'll update the weblog.

Day Six - Saturday, 24 November

Well there we were at the Great Bridge lock...ignore the date since it comes from a previous trip...but we passed it again today and it's clear where we are/were! It was a little warmer the last time, but we are doing well with an enclose cockpit and a generator to run our heaters at night. The bulkhead here at Great Bridge is full...about seven boats of various sizes. Just before the Dominion Bridge where we were held up for a half hour waiting for the bridge to open, we were hailed by the captain of a trawler who was at the lead of our convoy of three boats...the trawler, a sailboat from Newport, RI and us. It turned out to be Woody Sherrod, who installed a new refrigerator on our boat a month ago. Woody is on his way South on his new trawler, Marisol and recognized my voice on the VHF hailing a bridge tender. Marisol and Windreka are tucked up against the Great Bridge bulkhead and we will be on our way tomorrow morning...perhaps on the same general schedule, or perhaps not. That's a big part of the pleasure of being an active member of the cruising community. Today we spoke with Cathy and Pete Geiss who were in Solomons Island. They left just ahead of us...ran into some unanticipated problems...returned to the dock...and are now on their way south just behind us. Our host, Pat Drenning will also leave Annapolis in the morning after an unanticipated delay. Pat will be heading south behind Cathy and Pete and who knows where we will meet along the way. A few minutes ago as I was writing the post, I got a call from David and Hallie Groves who are in Wrightsville Beach, NC. They left about a week ahead of us and are on an extended cruise. Being a member of the cruising community is a unique and special experience.

The US Navy at Norfolk

Today, after refilling water and fuel tanks, we left the Bluewater Yacht Center at Hampton, VA at 1000 and had an enjoyable run across Hampton Shoal over the same water that witnessed the historic Civil War naval battle between the first two ironclads...the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia/Merrimack. This is the battle that ended the era of wooden warships. We motored past the US Navy ships at Norfolk and on down into the Elizabeth River to Mile 0 of the ICW. Todays leg ended just after we were locked through the Great Bridge lock which raised us up 2-3 feet to make up for the difference between Chesapeake Bay and its North Carolina counterparts...Currituck Sound and Albemarle Sound. The photo at the left is the Great Bridge Lock Pumphouse on the North side of the lock. We were tied up on the South side.

If there is a downside to the trip, it's waking up and having to pull ourselves out of a warm bed to wake up a cool boat and get everything running again. But once up and the sun comes shining through, we are energized and ready to see what's around the next bend of the ICW and we enjoy telling you all about it. We don't have a routine yet, but are working on it. For now, it's enough to plan to be 30-50 miles further south each day and we decide on where we'll spend the night some time around noon when we see how much progress we've made in the morning. Tomorrow we'll be in North Carolina...maybe Coinjock or further...tune in to see or maybe Sarah will call to tell you.