Piankatank River Anchorage to Reedville
We departed
the Piankatank River in a heavy haze and overcast skies. As usual, the wind was in our face. So, no sailing unless we wanted to take
forever to get up the Bay. Waves were at
3 to 4 feet head on and the current was against us for most of the day. We were ripping along at about 4 to 4.5
knots. There were a few other sailboats
on the water all motoring. Several ships
passed us on their way to the Atlantic.
Norfolk – ICW MM0 Hospital Point to Piankatank River Anchorage
We were up
at 0600, ate breakfast and were underway by 0745. It was a dreary morning. There was a heavy cloud cover and haze on the
water. It drizzled for a short while
which cause us to don our rain jackets.
Norfolk harbor was busy with tug boats guiding container ships into port
and US Navy security vessels escorting a submarine heading out to sea. We hugged the edge of the shipping channel
and quickly crossed it as we approached Fort Monroe. So as to avoid interfering with our view
ahead, we did not raise any sail until we were clear of the port. Once again, the wind and waves were not doing
us any favors. We had to tack back and
forth across the dominant wave pattern to keep from excessively rolling in the
3 to 4 feet waves. The Bay began to lay
down about 5 hours into our journey. Our
anchorage was still a bit rolly when we went to bed but not as bad as what we
experienced in the morning. We only saw
two other non-commercial vessels on the water after leaving Norfolk
Harbor. It was not a great day for
pleasure boating. Tomorrow it is
supposed to be much better.
Broad Creek Anchorage to Norfolk - ICW Mile Mark 0 Hospital Point
We were
happy to be underway bound for Norfolk and ICW Mile Mark 0. This was our last day on the ICW and we were
anxious to soon be back on the Chesapeake Bay.
The waterway today ran through some of the most diverse scenery anywhere. We began the day in shallow creeks, rivers and
canals located in remote parts of North Carolina and Virginia where few people
live and much of the land is undeveloped swamp and forests. As darkness approached, we found ourselves working
our way through a heavily industrialized seaport with its deep water channels
needed by ocean going ships. Low bridges
and one lock demanded we pay attention to our speed to ensure we arrived in a
time for their openings. We arrived at
Hospital Point a few minutes before sunset and took our place among the dozen
or so other boats anchored there. Dinner
was leftovers. We were in bed early knowing we needed to be up with the sun. Tomorrow, we are on the Chesapeake Bay.
Pungo River Anchorage to Broad Creek Anchorage
We were up
early and had a leisurely breakfast before weighing anchor just before
0800. It was a beautiful day for our 22
mile ride through the Alligator-Pungo Rivers Canal. A slightly overcast sky and light breeze kept
us cool in the morning. We didn’t see
any alligators this time; however, we did encounter a bear swimming across the
canal. This is a very remote section of
North Carolina. We traveled for most of
the day without cell phone coverage.
Upon leaving the canal, we entered the Alligator River which meant
another roughly 25 miles to travel before reaching Albemarle Sound. We encountered a barge heading south on the
river. So much for an exciting day.
Oriental to Pungo River Anchorage
We had a
very quiet night at anchor in Oriental harbor.
Powerboats started to motor through very early in the morning. We had a leisurely breakfast and weighed
anchor at 0800. Our day was relatively
uneventful. We motor-sailed down the
Neuse River. We were able to continue
motor-sailing as we turned north on the Bay River. We motored through the canal and Goose Creek
until we reached the Pamlico River. We
crossed the Pamlico River and turned up the Pungo River in good order. We stopped at the River Forest Marina in Belhaven
for fuel, water and to discharge our trash.
The marina was very busy and it was an awkward situation as fueling was
done at the slips and there wasn’t much maneuver room. Therefore, we would not stop there again for
fuel. We proceeded to our anchorage a
few miles further north on the Pungo River right at the entrance to the
Alligator-Pungo Rivers Canal. Several
other boats were already at anchor there.
It was too late to proceed any further today as this was the last good
anchorage before entering the 22 mile long canal.
Swansboro to Oriental
Carla was up
at 0600 anxious to get underway. It only
took her a few moments to realize something wasn’t quite right as the boat was
listing about 5 degrees. She woke Dwayne
who confirmed we were aground and so was Second
Sojourn, the Beneteau 49 which rode out the weather at anchor with us the
past two days. During the night, the wind
must have shifted 180 degrees and moved us at high tide onto the spoil area
just north of Red 4 and left us there when the tide went out..
Swansboro
The rain
stopped sometime during the night; however, the wind continued to blow in the
in the teens and twenties with gusts above thirty. The Rocna anchor was doing a superb job
holding us in place. The forecast for
the day was worse than the previous day.
Winds were predicted to increase in intensity up to 30 miles per
hour. We decided to remain in place
knowing the anchor was holding well.
Both the sailboats anchored with us departed. Several hours later, one of them returned and
anchored where she was before she left.
There are no better anchorages for nearly 40 miles north of us. The one that left and didn’t return probably
sought shelter in a marina. We put out
our second anchor, the Fortress, so that if we did drag, we might get it to set
as well and with both anchors set, we were sure we would hold.
Wrightsville Beach to Swansboro
We were up
at 0600 and on the move by 0615 so as to make the 0700 opening of the
Wrightsville Beach Bridge which only opens on the hour between 0700 and
1900. We arrived at the bridge in a
timely manner and were on our way to Swansboro.
We passed through the Figure Eight Bridge at 0800 and the Surf City
Bridge at 1100. If you are not at the
bridge at its scheduled opening, you wait up to an hour for the next scheduled
opening. We made sure we were at the
bridges on time. We bumped the bottom
when we went through the New River Inlet at low tide but were able to power
through the sandbar. There was no delay
at Camp Lejuene as training at the firing ranges on the ICW was not scheduled
for the day.
Wrightsville Beach
It rained
all night long. Carla was up early,
making coffee and getting the cockpit ready for movement when Dwayne suggested
we remain anchored where we were since the rain was forecast to continue all
day. It would have been a long, cold,
wet ride to the next anchorage. We
decided to take a weather day and stay in Wrightsville Beach one more
night. Carla cleaned the stove and head. Dwayne passed the day reading and
napping. We watched TV in the evening
and went to bed early since we wanted to make the 0700 opening of the
Wrightsville Beach Bridge.
Myrtle Beach to Wrightsville Beach
We departed
the marina at 0700 knowing we had a long day ahead of us. Our destination was Wrightsville Beach which
is 75 statute miles north resulting in a travel time of close to 12 hours. We came through “The Rock Pile” which is a
man-made canal blasted through rock resulting in rock ledges which can severely
damage a boat straying outside the narrow channel. A few miles after crossing the SC/NC state
line, we passed Ocean Isle Beach which is a community built on man-made canals
which allow residents to take their boats out onto the ICW and Atlantic Ocean
through Shallotte Inlet which can be a trouble spot for those traveling the ICW
since the tidal flows create shoals in the ICW channel. We made it through both Shallotte Inlet and
Lockwoods Folly Inlet which lies a little further down the ICW without any
problems. Eventually, we reached
Southport and entered the Cape Fear River.
Georgetown to Myrtle Beach
We departed
Georgetown at 0745 for the nearly 40 nautical mile trip to the Marina at Grand
Dunes in Myrtle Beach. It was a
relatively uneventful journey through some of the most beautiful river routes
in the country. The Waccamaw River was
once flanked by extensive rice fields which produced more rice than the rest of
the country during the years prior to the expansion of rice farming in
Louisiana and Texas near the end of the 19th Century. The end of slavery and high cost of labor
following abolition eventually ended the plantation system of farming. The rice fields are now abandoned and much of
the land is now declared a wildlife preservation area. Very few homes appear along the banks of the
Waccamaw. We motored through this natural
park setting admiring its beauty. We did
not see any alligators as in the past.
We did encounter a large number of other boaters out for a Sunday cruise.
Georgetown
We woke, had
breakfast, took showers and were prepared to meet friends for a day trip when
we discovered the toilet would not flush.
The joker valve was inverted and needed to be replaced as it was clogged
with sediment. Carla, our sanitation
engineer once again rose to the occasion.
She had the toilet torn apart and had the parts needed to effect
repairs. All was in working order in
less than an hour. Our guests waited
ashore having coffee at a local restaurant while we completed our repairs,
weighed anchor and moved to the dock to pick them up for the day.
Winyah Bay to Georgetown
We did a few
chores after breakfast. Dwayne cleaned
the bilge which is a task neither of us enjoys doing. It was his turn this time. We then moved from our anchorage to
Georgetown which took us about two hours.
We stopped at Hazard Marine to get fuel, water, pump-out, oil and
filters. Susan was still working the office
and docks. Nothing has really
changed. The marina was full for the
weekend.
Winyah Bay - Day of Rest
Day of
rest. Carla cleaned the galley and
head. Dwayne worked on the blog. We
changed the oil in the generator. When
we started to run the generator, it ran rough and surged at times before
eventually shutting down. We had this happen
before but only when the boat was rocking due to waves. Google came to the rescue when a search was
made of Honda 2000 generator surging.
Someone mentioned they had the same problem when they forgot to open the
fuel cap vent. Sure enough, the vent was
closed and once opened, the generator ran fine.
We then watched some television.
We avoided the cockpit as there were hundreds of horse flies and
mosquitoes. At least, there was a breeze
and it was cool for sleeping.
Arrival at Winyah Bay
The wind
continued to hold through the night which allowed us to maintain speeds in
excess of 7 knots. The wind continued to
lose velocity as the day progressed.
However, we were able to motor along at a speed of 6.5 knots. As a
result, we were able to make the entrance to Winyah Bay before nightfall. We encountered the out-going tide which
reduced our speed to 3 ½ knots and forced us to anchor in Winyah Bay rather
than reaching Georgetown before dark. We
anchored without difficulty. However,
the mosquitos viciously attached us and we retreated to the shelter of our
cabin as soon as the anchor was set. We
were very tired from our overnight journey and went to bed early for some much
needed sleep.
St. Augustine Bound for Winyah Bay and Georgetown
Sophia and Foreign Affair made the 0730 opening of the Bridge of Lions. We negotiated the shoals without difficulty. Our two boats were in sight of each other for
most of the day. Foreign Affair is the faster of the two and by sundown Sophia was out of sight. The wind and waves were highly
favorable. We motor-sailed at speeds
between 6 ½ and 7 ½ knots on a course of 7 degrees True for over 24 hours. At one point, we were briefly making 8 knots.
Daytona Beach to St. Augustine
Spring Tide, a Bayfield 36 cutter, was
approaching from the south as we entered the ICW channel for our 45 mile run to
St. Augustine. She was one of the boats
which took shelter in Titusville. Aboard
were Eric and Donna who had also wintered in the Bahamas. We learned they were not familiar with this
stretch of the ICW and offered to share what we knew since there were a few
trouble spots along the way. Thus, we
ended up “buddy boating” to St. Augustine.
Titusville Municipal Mooring to Daytona Beach (Seabreeze Anchorage)
We passed
two of our favorite spots on the ICW on our way to Titusville. We saw a number of roseate spoonbills nesting
and in flight not far from the Haulover Canal.
Shortly thereafter, we saw the usual herd of manatee in the canal
itself. The manatee were unusually
active and breaching the water surface rather than just floating about sunning
themselves. Of course, we also saw
several dolphin during the day. We pulled
into the Halifax Harbor Marina for fuel as it is an easy on-off dock with discounts
for SSCA members. The old Daytona Beach
Memorial Bridge is still being disassembled which interfered with our anchoring
just south of it. As a result, we
anchored just north of the Seabreeze Bridge which is not very desirable due to the large number of “floating homeless” anchored there. Aside from this, there was little of note
during this almost 50 mile run up the ICW.
Melbourne Bridge Anchorage to Titusville Municipal Mooring
We were
planning to make a long run; however, the weather turned bad in the early
afternoon. A major storm front with high
winds and heavy rain was headed our direction.
Carla watched its progress across Florida on the weather radar. It was obvious, we would be caught in open
waters if we continued to our original destination. As a result, we decided to seek shelter in
Titusville where we could pick up a mooring for the night and refuel the next
day. Two other sailboats which were
following us did the same. We got
settled about an hour before the storm hit us and were very pleased to be
secured to a mooring ball. The wind and
rain were quite intense for about a half hour before subsiding.
Vero Beach to Melbourne Bridge Anchorage
Dwayne
dropped off the rental car in the morning.
We took on fuel and water before departing Vero Beach at 1300. The trip north on the ICW was uneventful. The 30 mile trip took about 5 hours. This was our first stop at this anchorage and
found it adequate for an overnight stay; however, there was little of interest
ashore and we remained aboard Foreign
Affair.
Vero Beach
We slept in
still recovering from our overnight Gulf Stream crossing. We find it a challenge to stay up all night
as we are not as young as we used to be when we could party hardy into the
early morning hours. We are almost “real
cruisers” as we have heard: nine o’clock is midnight for “real cruisers”. We usually turn in between 10 and 11.
Gulf Stream, Fort Pierce Inlet and Vero Beach, FL
Our smooth
ride ended as we crossed the Gulf Stream.
The wind was from the north at less than 10 miles per hour which was
enough to make for a pretty lumpy ride. We
are well aware of the advice to never cross the Gulf Stream if the wind is from
the north. However, we figured with the light wind there wouldn’t be much in
the manner of waves. The waves we
encountered weren’t really high but they really rocked the boat. The moonlit water in the middle of the Gulf
Stream looked like a mogul field on a ski slope. There was little we could do to alter course
to mitigate the rocking as we needed to maintain our 270 degrees True to both
get out of the Stream via the shortest distance and not overshoot the Fort
Pierce Inlet. At the mid-point of our
Gulf crossing, our course over ground was 310 degrees True while maintaining
our 270 degree True heading. We had a
drift of 40 degrees and were moving north faster than we were east. We had no choice but to “go with the flow”.
West End, Grand Bahama Bound for Fort Pierce Inlet and Vero Beach, FL
We arrived
at West End just as the sun was rising.
We made our way into the harbor basin and dropped anchor since the fuel
dock was not yet open. We were very tired
from our overnight passage. So, we went
to sleep for a few hours. We woke in
late afternoon, ate lunch, weighed anchor and moved to the fuel dock to take on
diesel and clear customs/immigration.
Clearing was very easy and we were soon back at anchor in the basin
waiting for an early evening departure for Fort Pierce Inlet and eventually
Vero Beach.
Soldier Cay, Berry Islands to West End, Grand Bahama
We spent the
morning at anchor admiring the beauty of Soldier Cay and the surrounding
islands. These are very small and very
low lying islands with predominantly scrub vegetation and a few trees. The water is crystal clear. Grass blades growing in the white sandy
bottom appear as if they are only a foot below the surface even in 15 feet of
water. We watched a few fish swim by the
boat as if we were peering into the top of an aquarium. There was no wind to disturb the water’s
surface which enhanced the notion you were looking at the objects below as if
through a sheet of glass. No need for
snorkel gear here. Just look down from
the boat.
Nassau to Soldier Cay, Berry Islands
We cast off
at 0730 and headed directly to the fuel dock which was located between the two
bridges to Paradise Island. We were the
first boat of the day on the dock and took on 23 gallons of diesel. We also needed some gasoline for the dinghy
and generator. We ended up waiting 15
minutes for our gasoline as another boat was filling up with gas while we were
taking on diesel. It took 15 minutes
because the boat taking on gas needed 225 gallons and chatted with the dock
hand while pumping. His fuel bill was
over $1,000. You have to catch a lot of
fish to cover that kind of tab. Our fuel
bill was a tenth of his. We like our 40
HP Yanmar diesel engine and gas sipping generator.
Nassau
We intend to
depart for the Berry Islands tomorrow and did the usual things such as taking on water
and provisions to prepare for an early departure. We will refuel on our way out since the fuel
dock was not located in the marina. We
decided to head down to Junkanoo Beach for the Carnival Parade and big party
being thrown as part of the FIFA World Sand Football Championship. Our neighbors, Robert and Jeanette on Great Escape headed in for the big
parade as well. We walked and they took
a cab. We met them at the festival site
later in the evening.
Atlantis
We were
planning on leaving today; however, the weather didn’t look good for an
overnight to the Berrys due to high winds from the south and later west. The Berrys offer little, if any, protection
from west winds and most of the cays are uninhabited. You are really on your own in the Berrys. Winds were predicted to reach into
the 20 plus mile per hour range. So, we
decided to stay in Nassau for two more days waiting for better weather to
travel north. Sunday looks like our best
bet to depart.
Atlantis Waterpark Day
We went back
to Atlantis to get some thrills and spills.
Dwayne made several trips down the slides on the Mayan Temple while
Carla read a book as she lounged next to a nearby swimming pool. Carla later joined him for a double tube ride
through the shark tank. We later made
two trips down the Rapid River which was a bit livelier than the Lazy River
Ride at the Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells. We left the waterpark to get dinner. We stopped in the marina village for a quick
bite before heading back to Foreign
Affair and changing into some dry clothes.
We ended up staying on the boat for the rest of the night. We were tired and a little sun-burnt.
Highbourne Cay to Nassau, Paradise Island
We departed
Highbourne Cay early in the morning so as to arrive in Nassau in time to get
fuel and help with docking. The winds
were from the east which allowed us to set our sails as soon as we cleared the
anchorage. However, we had to motor sail
most of the way to Nassau as the wind was too light to maintain the speed we
needed to complete our passage as planned.
Also, we doused our sails when we crossed the Yellow Bank coral field
and continued on under engine alone through the coral surrounding Nassau
harbor. A series of squalls kept the
ride lively and wet. We caught the edge
of two squalls during our approach to Nassau harbor. As a result, we took our slip at the
Hurricane Hole Marina without getting fuel.
Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay to Highbourne Cay
We decided
it is time to start heading back to the States.
We have seen nearly everything we set out to see and then some. We had intended to reach George Town. However, the trip to George Town and back
would require another 5 to 7 days and we are running out of time. Our cruising permit is good through May
19. We could head further south and
probably be able to get back to the States before then but we are ready to
start back now. We also have a lot of
commitments coming up in the near future.
We pointed the bow north and made a long run from Great Guana Cay to
Highbourne Cay.
Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay
It was still
a bit choppy when we went ashore at Black Point Settlement. Our first stop was the laundromat which was
full of cruisers trying to get their laundry done.
All the machines were washing or drying when we arrived. We chatted with a few of the people doing
their wash to get an idea of where we could get our provisions. There was no gas or diesel for sale at Black
Point. Water was available at the
spicket down the road. The
grocery store was two doors down. We discovered Scott and Annie on Carpe Diem there . They were out of Boca Chica Key, Florida which is where we wintered last year. Of the
two restaurants, only Lorraine’s Cafe
was open which was where we planned to eat lunch since it is a Seven Seas
Cruisers’ Association cruising station. Lorraine reputedly serves the best conch fritters in the Exumas. We ended up going to Lorraine’s Cafe for lunch while we waited for the laundry. Scott lived in both Wisconsin and Kansas. So he and Dwayne talked about the Wisconsin Dells and dairy farming in the old days.
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