Saturday October 29th, Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

   Because we couldn’t get wifi on the boat, we got up early to have breakfast at the restaurant and to check the 2 doubtful inlets.  The crabmeat, roasted red pepper, and goat cheese omelets were delicious!  However, the wifi was questionable and we gave up.  Since we’d be leaving near high tide none of us thought the inlets would be a problem. 

  Lockwood’s Folly Inlet and Shallotte Inlet were no problem, seeing no less than 14’.  Shallotte was where we’d grounded on the way south last time, but we were going through at low tide and grounded in 2’ of water!  It was cold and foggy and a foggy mist was rising off Lockwood’s Folly Inlet; the fog didn’t lift until the New River where we met 2 huge casino boats.

  We went through the New River Swing Bridge; stayed together through the Rockpile, a very narrow channel where there is not enough room to meet a barge.  I gave a ‘security, security, security’ call on VHF 16 to say we were southbound and any traffic northbound to hail us.  No one did and we met no one except a couple small powerboats.  Then on to Barefoot Landing Bridge and finally Socastee Bridge, which was extremely slow, making us wait for a catamaran and sailboat.

We came into this very protected marina, almost 55miles—a long day.  Jan and Bob, formerly from s/v Banshee, now m/v Jany K, met us and we converged on their boat later for drinks and camaraderie. 

 

Friday, October 28th, 2011 St. James Marina, Southport, NC

  In the morning all the boats were dancing on their anchorage.  We were close to 2 trawlers that dance completely differently than sailboats.  Argos, from Sydney, would ride up on their anchor and we would ride way down on ours, both boats coming very close together.  It could get a little nerve wracking….however, we’d seen it all before the first time in Wrightsville when the rode got wrapped around our keel and we were the only boat not dancing.  I’d sit at the stern and literally push boats off.  And in St Augustine one boat was on all rope rode and everyone else was on chain.  That boat would dance all over the place, coming really, really close to one boat, then dance in the opposite direction and come very close to another boat.  And no one was on the boat!

  The consensus in the anchorage was to wait for the ebbing tide with the north wind in Cape Fear River.  We agreed to leave at 9am. We got through Snows Cut then into Cape Fear River with a 20K north wind.  The waves seemed manageable, however as we proceeded the waves got larger and it was harder to control the boat, and we had 10+ miles of this!  It was a relief to turn off it into the more protected channel. Then the tide was against us and it was slow progress to the marina.

  We all met for drinks and supper and shared stories and all our experiences.  This is why we’re doing all this work!!  Then we’ll have something to share with people!  And to meet such interesting people.

Thursday, October 27th, 2011 Wrightsville Beach

  There were 14 boats in the anchorage.  Katja and Geoff came in just before the sun set behind them.  It had been a beautiful night in a very protected anchorage, but we could hear the wind in the rigging.

  We agreed to leave early, 7:45am, to make the 11am hourly opening of the Surf City Swing Bridge, a whole line of us.  And then Figure Eight Island Bridge, opening on the hour and half-hour, and, finally, the Wrightsville Beach Bridge, another hourly bridge.  To time these bridges was tricky so as not to have too much time circling waiting for them to open.  We were early for the Wrightsville Beach Bridge, not wanting to take any chances, because last time coming south they didn’t wait for us to get through, and we had to anchor and wait an hour for it to open. So we circled; some boats would edge up in line and not leave us too much room to circle.  One time Ken jerked the helm to port, not realizing he had got so close to the edge of the channel and was in 4’6”.  The trawlers and powerboats came right up front, no matter what, and one was in front of Blue Planet, then stopped right in the middle of the bridge opening and sidled over to a dock, using their side thrusters, with total disregard for the boats behind him.

  We slowly proceeded through the Motts Channel and to the anchorage at Wrightsville Beach.  Blue Planet went through Shinn Creek and came up the Banks Channel to the anchorage.  The wind was still blowing from the north; we were fairly protected in the anchorage.

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011, Mile Hammock Bay, Camp LeJeune, NC

  Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

  We made it through the 9am opening of the Beaufort Bridge, then through the turning basin into Morehead City and out into Bogue Sound.  Just before hailing the bridgetender on VHF 13, Warship 44 announced on VHF 16 she was leaving Morehead City and to give her plenty of space, that any boat coming within 100 yards could be stopped.  When we got into the channel we could see the huge outline of the ship, which was, luckily, out the inlet.

  The current was with us until Bogue Inlet and we made good mileage even against the 15K SW wind.  High tide was early so we would be going through some of the inlets at near low tide.  Geoff and one of the boats ahead of us kept up a running commentary of the depths and Browns Inlet with the dredge near the middle of the channel proved the most challenging.  We turned into Mile Hammock Bay and 14 boats are anchored here for the night, which might not be too quiet because the marines are doing some type of night maneuvers with the Osprey.

 

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011, Harbor of Refuge, Beaufort, NC

  Today we would go up the ‘nasty’ Neuse and the winds were from the north, northwest, which would make it nasty.  An early start was recommended.  We reefed the m’sail and took off after the other sailboat.  The wind was north about 10-15K and we pulled out the jib.  When we rounded Maw Shoal into the Neuse, the wind had picked up to 15-20K and the waves looked huge, the boat surfing down them at 7+knots.  We shut off the engine and enjoyed the ride!  Once we cornered into Adams Creek, we furled the jib and pulled down the main.

  Ray was to meet us to deliver our mail and take us around.  Katja and Geoff went into Town Creek Marina, which had been hard hit by Hurricane Irene.  We went into the Harbor of Refuge with grounded boats all around us flung here and there.  After a little shopping we made a trip to Sealevel to get the mail and see Ray’s campground.  We could see the outerbanks from the beach and got a tour of NE North Carolina.  We celebrated Geoff’s and Ray’s birthdays with a nice meal at Clawsons.  Thanks, Ray.  We owe you, again!

Monday, October 24th, 2011, Geoff’s birthday

Bay River, entrance to Bear River, NC

  We joined the parade of boats entering the Alligator-Pungo Canal and made good time to marker G15 where we turned into Dowry Creek Marina to get fuel and a pump-out.  A sailboat was stranded on land from Hurricane Irene, which had done a lot of damage to the Belhaven area.  Our plan was to spend the night but, since we made such good time, we opted to continue, wanting to cross the Pamlico River while the going was good.  We motorsailed down the Pungo and across the Pamlico River into Goose Creek, where we furled the jib.  Other boats were pulling off into little creeks to anchor.  Just at the end of the creek/canal a barge was taking up most of the channel and Ken almost had to go outside the channel to let him pass.  We rounded the corner and came into this wide area with fairly good protection from everything but the south.  One other boat came in and anchored.

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 Tuckahoe Point, Alligator River

  We had agreed to leave at 7am, even though sunrise wasn’t until 7:19am.  Three sailboats got out before us and more after with a parade of about 10 boats going down the Pasquotank.  The Albermarle was churning with waves all which ways.  As we got out into it the waves increased in size and we were pooped a couple of times.  We were all nervous about the entrance to the Alligator River and the increased shoaling, but we followed the markers and the parade of boats and saw nothing less than 9’.  We motorsailed up the river and by the time we got to the bend where it narrows to go into the Alligator-Pungo Canal, the wind had increased to near 20K and the waves with it.  Even though the wind still blew, there were no waves around the bend and we anchored in near calm conditions.  9 boats were anchored at Tuckahoe Point and 7 others anchored at Deep Point and Bear Point.