Ocracoke, NC

28 September 2014

We sailed out of the Pungo River yesterday morning. Glorious wind and abundant sunshine. The first time we sailed since Portsmouth. We had a great sail, broad reach, 7+ knots (fast for us) for 4 hours until we turned more north east to Ocracoke. The wind piped up to 23 knots and was on our nose so we powered for the next 3 hours with rough 5 foot seas. While going into Ocracoke inlet the channel was well marked but shallow and narrow in spots, lots of shoals, (many pucker moments) and the rough sea state didn’t make it any better. 

Robin wants to go to the beach today, we will try again to find a place to do laundry.

Entrance to Silver Lake at Ocracoke
Teach's Channel

Ocracoke beach

Belhaven, NC

26 September 2014

Well, no surprise… there is a tradition in Elizabeth City that the local townspeople present cruisers with a rose and a glass of wine, apparently except on rainy days. We were greeted by “Gus” who helped us tie up at the free City Docks, told us jokes, sang to us, and directed us to a good seafood lunch. We attended a free concert in the evening by a very good local rock band then went to dinner. Wednesday we woke to a rainy day so we spent the day wondering the town and stopping at pubs. The first we stopped at was “Thumpers” there was a person sitting outside smoking a cigarette, I couldn’t tell the gender and thought perhaps homeless. We went inside and ordered a couple of beers and some wings. We found the person outside was the cook, she had a oversized wife beater shirt, not covering a gray or maybe dirty purple semi-see through bra and many tattoos. She later came into the bar section to pull the shirt to her waist to show a couple of other diners (sic) her many tattoos. Needless to say we moved on to another bar.

Thursday morning we left in a fog (it was foggy not us) and motored down the Pasquotank, crossed Albemarle Sound into the Alligator River. We anchored for the night at Tuckahoe Point at the beginning of the Alligator/Pungo River Canal. 

This morning we woke to wind and clouds. We made our way through the canal arriving at Belhaven early afternoon. This is Mile Marker 136 of the ICW. Most of the 32 mile trip was in fog and drizzling rain. There is no cellphone service for 40 miles, this is the least populated area in North Carolina. 

The Alligator/Pungo River Canal is wider, deeper and more boring than the Dismal Swamp Canal. Of course it was raining and cloudy, but most of it has been purposefully burned recently so it was not very picturesque.

We chose to stay at Riverforest Marina for it’s many listed amenities. We need a pump out, laundry and Internet. The washing machine is broken (will be fixed next week), the pump out is broken (will be fixed by 1700), and the Internet service doesn’t work. We were pleased there was a golf cart available. We went to the market and will go to town for dinner and music tonight.

Charles (Prettyboy) Floyd
Sold his house, car, and bought his first boat,
about 70 years old and heading somewhere south

Entrance to the Alligator/Pungo Canal

Aligator/Pungo Canal

Rainy day

Hello from the Great Dismal Swamp

22 September 2014

Well we didn’t make it to Elizabeth City…

Robin, “Our morning at the lock… the Lock Tender, Robert, was a wonderful host. Coffee, fruit, and virgin mimosas for all. This way of life has me excited and I feel fortunate to be able to partake in it. An older gentleman who locked thru this morning, sold his house, his car and bought 27’ sailboat, a bicycle, and a dink. We don’t know his whole story yet but he has never had a boat before. When we asked him where he was going, he just says south, learning to boat. This adventure is becoming interesting indeed.”

Skip, Robert also is the bridge tender. After he locks you thru, he gets in his car and drives an around about way to get to the bridge that is a few hundred yards down stream to open the bridge and let you through. 

The dismal Swamp Canal is arrow straight, about 50 feet wide, tree lined on both sides. We haven’t seen any depths less than about 7 feet but we do bump underwater logs and branches at times, not to hard. We were warned we would. We were almost talked out of doing the Dismal in favor of the Virginia Cut (there is a restaurant on the Virginia Cut that has the best 32 oz. Prime Rib). The Virginia Cut is deeper and

wider. I’m glad we decided to experience the Dismal Canal though. It’s lovely, peaceful, and the weather has been excellent. The water though is the color of dark coffee. It’s interesting to flush the toilet, the water is reddish brown.

We are at a visitors center at Mile Marker 28. We walked a nature trail, we’ll have dinner on the boat spend the night, In the morning we will continue south to the second lock on the canal, then on to Elizabeth City. Elizabeth City has a surprise that I’ll tell you all about after we experience it…

Duck weed on the water, heading to the bridge

Robert, now bridge tender

Our bow wake

Says it, no caption needed

Looking North

Looking South

Dismal Swamp

21 September 2014

We left Portsmouth today at 1300 from Mile Marker “0” of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Battle Ship Wisconson

There is no actual "Mile Marker "0" but his is where it would be

Pucker moment

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

The turn we missed to the Dismal Swamp Canal

approaching the lock

In the lock

Robert, the most well known person on the ICW

Lock filling, raises us up 8 feet

The day started dreary, wind, light rain but improved to sunshine and near 85 degrees. We passed the Newport News shipyards with large warships in dry dock looking rather weird out of water. Among the ships being refitted was the Nimitz class carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1092 feet long and 101,600 long tons. 2 reactors, 4 steam turbines, 30 knots, really impressive.

Our mast is 62.5 feet from the water, we had our first pucker moment as we passed under the route 64 bridge which is 65 feet high. I was so busy trying to catch my breath I missed the immediate right turn after the bridge to go to the Dismal Swamp route. We had to make a U turn and go back a couple of hundred yards. I’m sure the bridge tender was laughing. 

After a few miles we approached the first of 2 locks on the Dismal Swamp route. The Lock Tender is named Robert and is probably the most well known person on the ICW. He is friendly, helpful and informational. He invited us to coffee in the morning. We elected to stay at a free lay along just outside of the lock for the night.

We expect to make Elizabeth City tomorrow by 1700 (or maybe not).

Portsmouth

20 September 2014

Well I spoke too soon. Today was what I expected the lower bay to be, 4-6 foot following seas, we bounced a lot. We sailed out of Cape Charles at 0900 and sailed till we got to the inlet at Hampton Roads. We dropped sail and started to motor as the sea tossed us around quite a bit until we got well inside the inlet. 

Whoa!!!

After that we became part of a Search and Rescue. We passed a Sunfish sailboat that was bottom up with no sign of the sailor. We hailed the Coast Guard with our position and circled while waiting for them to arrive and looking for the sailor. The Coast Guard arrived and we continued to Portsmouth still keeping a eye out for someone in the water. The Coast Guard later passed us, turned around and let us know the sailor was accounted for. (?)

We had dinner tonight at Cafe Europa. Mediterranean food, excellent. We had a bottle of Le Crema Pinot Noir, wonderful (Tom Gilbert, thought of you).

Off to the beginning of the Dismal Swamp tomorrow.

Which way do we go?

USS Harry Truman Nimitz Class Carrier 2 Nuclear reactors it can stay at sea 25 years

Cape Charles, Va

19 September 2014

Sailed from Deltaville to Cape Charles today. Another beautiful day. Cape Charles is a lovely little town, the people are friendly and there are good places to eat and drink.

I thought I would not like this part of the trip because the bay is wide, often has a lot of commercial ship traffic and can be like the Delaware Bay, nasty. It hasn’t been, light winds flat seas and mostly blue sky.

More dolphin this morning, even more playful than before. They seem to like the sound of the motor and swim toward the boat from the side and dive under it.

We went to the local on-the-water restaurant, The Shanty, for dinner and were surprised to see Scott Fackett, a Rad Tech I knew at Mercy. He was here on a fishing trip with his Dad and Brother. Small world…

Tomorrow we will be out of the Chesapeake into Norfolk/Portsmouth, and the Elisabeth River. 

Either they are smiling for us or laughing at us

Deltaville

18 September 2014

As we motored out of the Great Wicomico this morning we saw our first pods of dolphin, they were very playful and seemed to swim toward the side of the boat and go underneath. Fun to watch. By the way, there are distinct differences between dolphin and porpoise. Apparently dolphin are generally more compact and look chubby compared to porpoise. Dolphin are also more people friendly and make noises that people can hear.

No wind today so we motored to Deltaville, Va on the Piankatank River. Fuel, pump out and water. Gracious people, let us tie up to the dock, borrow bicycles and ride into town to the market and a pub for lunch and a cold beer. We’ve anchored in well protected Fishing Bay to spend the night. Hope to leave early and make Cape Charles by late afternoon.

Down the Bay

17 September 2014

We had a beautiful sail down the bay today. We sailed until 1400 then motored after the wind died. Until then we were on a broad reach sailing at 5 - 6 knots with another boat close by, it was a race… It was a cutter rigged, double ender that had a young couple on it who seemed to run from cockpit to bow frequently adjusting sail. 

We are in the Great Wicomico River tonight anchored in Cockrell Creek near the Menhaden processing plant, thankfully up wind. The fish are harvested from the bay and processed into fertilizer and Omega-3 fish oil thought to reduce cholesterol and other diseases. They use spotter planes to find the schools of menhaden and direct the net trawlers. (We were down wind in the morning and left early).

Robin had made spinach and artichoke with bread crumb and parmesan topping for dinner last night and cooked it with an egg in the center for brunch as we sailed today. It was exquisite. Tomorrow we hope for a relatively short sail to Fishing Bay near Deltaville. Water, fuel and a few provisions to hold us over till we get to Norfolk. Weather is good, warmer than Baltimore, in the low 80’s today.

Bahamas Bound

16 September 2014

We have begun our journey. 

As all of our friends have heard a thousand times we have a plan but no itinerary. We plan to take our time traveling down the ICW eventually leaving from around Miami for West End, Bahamas. We hope to sail the Abacos until it gets cool there then to the Exumas for the cooler months. 

After a glorious weekend with friends in Baltimore enjoying Sailabration 200, the Blue Angels, Tall ships, warships, good food and drink at our favorite places we sailed (actually motored) out of Baltimore harbor at 1230 on Monday afternoon. Since the wind didn’t cooperate we motored to Whitehall Bay, north of Annapolis, got in at 1700, anchored out, and had a steak dinner. Bed early. Up at 0700 and sailing by 0730. We had a great sail to Solomon’s Island on the Patuxent River, about 45 nautical miles. Bella was happy to see land as she, so far, won’t do her business on the boat. We are anchored near Spring Cove Marina. Chicken in cream sauce (Nancy, Thank you for the trivet) over rice, creamed spinach and artichokes for dinner. Tomorrow probably the Potomac or Wicomico River. We watched our own little air show with Navy warplanes flying in and out of Pax River Naval Air Station.

We’ve been so excited about the trip it wasn’t until last night I realized how much we are going to miss all of the great friends and wonderful people we know. Gifts, a pillow that says “Sell Your Stuff, Keep the Dog, Live on a Sailboat”, a pantry of prepared foods, a homemade Bon Voyage “Great Cookie”, wine, Champagne, our favorite vodka, a luncheon, a dinner, a farewell cookout, vitamins, cards, a Bon Voyage cake from our friends at Regi’s and expressions of love and well wishes from all. We are fortunate to have many happy memories created by so many people. 

Bellatrix is a 1997 Catalina 380. She draws 5'6", her mast is 62 1/2' from the water and she weighs nearly 20,000 lbs. We have owned her for 7 years.