Grey Skies, Changing Currents and Challenges

     We were out of the dock at 6:45 AM. We could feel the strong current as we left the protection of the marina.  It pushed the boat sideways.  We then proceeded the 11 miles south on the Cape Fear River.   Just like the last passage north through this area five years ago, there were storms to the west of us all morning.

River traffic

     About halfway down the river, we saw a tug move from pulling the barge to doing a hip tow.  It was a little disconcerting when he began his maneuvering, but very interesting to watch. We also passed the marina that also serves as the ferry terminal, complete with outgoing ferry.
     We finally caught up with BRUNELLE, RAGTIME, and SEVILLA about 4 miles south of their marina. We mistakenly waited at the wrong marina.


Hints of fall on the banks

     Once again, Pete never saw the scenery as he was focused on work. I had the helm for most of the day.  It’s definitely is much harder to take advantage of photo ops.  I try to fill in with my trusty camera phone.  I really does a great job.

Coast Guard wrestles a buoy ashore

     We had checked out the reports of shoaling and thought Folly’s Landing would be a problem.  A cruiser ahead of us radioed back that the day markers were repositioned in the past day or so. We just need to follow the markers and the water depths are good.  As we approached this area, Martha and Dan switched navigating and Dan lost his bearings.  That resulted in being hard aground for 45 minutes, requesting passing power boaters to create a wake as they passed (a very unusual request from sail boaters!) With their help and the rising tide, BRUNELLE was free and we continued on.
 

Important warning, especially during low water

    It rained on and off from here on. The notorious Rock Pile was a non event due to the high tides. In Pete’s research, he learned that this area is not as wide as the rest of the ICW.  When they were creating the canal, they hit a bedrock shelf. Since they ran out of money they didn’t blast to make it wider.

Barefoot Landing

Martha, as we wait
our turn docking

 


    We pulled into Barefoot Landing Marina just after 3. It was fun to see the precision docking of all four boats.  We all needed to tie up to a single, very long dock. Once everyone had their lines and fenders ready, each boat took their turn.  He dock crew was great.  The four of us, plus one additional sailboat were secured in less than 30 minutes.

Martha, Jeanne and a friend from
SV MAGIC, another Catalina

 












     Martha, Jeanne and I took advantage of the free shuttle and ran to the BiLo for groceries. We were ready for pickup in 40 minutes.  (I would have been done at the 30 minute mark, but had problems at the register.) When I returned with the groceries, Pete told me his Mom is back in the hospital. Unfortunately, we have to wait until morning for more information.



Dew stayed put even in the breeze

      While he continued on the project, groceries were put away and dinner prepared. I took Bailey for her final walk while Pete finally packed away his computer for the night. I was fascinated by the huge spider webs that were all over the fencing. Between the fog, mist and overhead light, the webs were golden.
     Then it was time for bed.
 

ICW Mile Marker    354.3

9.5 Hours       (Total 84.5 Hours)
57.4 Miles       (Total 525.0 Miles)

Heavy Rains, Wet Stuff and More Laundry!

     When the heavier stuff began to fall yesterday, I had placed cups where I know there are drips.  What I never expected is to wake up to wet feet!  Apparently, the windless on the bow needs to be resealed.  It dripped onto the shelf below, then down the corner, wetting my side of the bed.  Once in the cockpit, I was reminded that my enclosure isn’t perfect; it isn’t waterproof.  Most of the items in the cockpit were wet. Guess who visited the laundry again today?!?
     I was really disappointed that Leah and James pulled out in the downpour before I had a chance to say good-by. I really hope our paths cross again.
     Pete is still chest deep in his project for work. Since he uses my computer for mapping and his for information and emails, I spent the day cleaning, putting things back in place, and reading.  I just need to stay clear when he is so focused.  Thankfully, I was able to use the computer after dinner, process the photos and post to the web.  I am just about up to date!  I guess most of my postings will be completed in clumps. I’ll try to be more efficient.
    PINNACLE has really had a time of this maiden voyage.  They ran aground again.  They have decided to take the outside route to Charleston instead of the ICW due to concerns of shoaling and bridge height.  Hopefully, we will meet up with them in Charleston this weekend.  We didn’t realize they were not going to the Southport Villas Marina until after we paid for our additional night stay here at Carolina State Beach Marina. It just means we have to leave early to catch the ebb tide and meet the rest of our fleet by 8:30.
    P.S.  The weather service reported that Carolina Beach area received the most rain today. . .2.97 inches!  Sorry, no photos today.

 

ICW Mile Marker    296 (Layover)

0.0 Hours       (Total 75.0 Hours)
0.0 Miles       (Total 467.6 Miles)

Grey Skies and Good Company

 

Momentary sunlight among the storms

     There are only 3 cruisers currently here in the marina, two trawlers and another sailboat.
     This morning, I was able to do 2 loads of laundry. At $1/load and no wait for the single washer and dryer, it was a great deal.  While sitting on the porch overlooking the marina, I had the chance to meet a number of visitors from both land and sea: 
      --- The crew of the trawler is heading to Charleston to assist in the Regatta. Though they have helped for quite a few years, this year they were invited to bring their boat with them, all the way from Ontario.
      --- Bob is retired, lives across the Cut, and always has his coffee here on the deck to watch all the boats. After retiring from Corning, he served as mate on the Community College Training Ship that traveled as far north as Baltimore and as s far south as Nassau. Students get practical training on seamanship, navigation, maintenance and marine survey. The program is so good, that students who graduate from Carolina University with degrees in Marine Studies and Marine Engineering apply for the certificate obtained through the training vessel.  Students usually go on to work in the oil off shore industry making good money even with an associate’s degree.
 

Coast Guard buoy tender
Hopefully, heading up to Camp Legune

     --- The crew from the Corps of Engineers completed their day evaluating some of the bridge abutments.
      --- The friends who crew the 2nd trawler are neighbors in Hershey, PA. One is substituting for the other’s wife, who is currently recovering from some surgery. 
     Cruising always requires some adjustment and compromise.  I realize that we have it easy.  Consider leaving one's family, friends, home and jobs in Hawaii, move onto a boat that belongs to someone else, provision and accommodate toys, books, and all the stuff required for little cruisers. I was impressed and enchanted by the crew of this sailboat.  Noel is 4, loves fishing and exploring, having fun and sharing his knowledge with others.  He definitely keeps his mom and dad, Leah and James, on their toes.  To make the crew more interesting, they added Leanni, who is 7 months.  They left about the same time we started our journey. They started in Baltimore on his parents 36 Morgan, and hope to make it to the Bahamas.  I spent a good part of the afternoon with Leah, Leanni and Noel, who played with Bailey, periodically checked the fishing pole, searched for crabs in the sand, investigated a green gecko and playing at the water’s edge. Leah mentioned that they felt they were ready to sail as a family.  The reality of spending so much time in such a little space, with no breaks from kids has proved to be a little challenging.  Once they find their rhythm, I know they will create wonderful memories together.
 

Intriguing Paper Birch bark

    I was glad for the conversation and company. Pete has been working since 8 this morning and continued until 5:30 only to begin again tomorrow.
     Do to the forecast of heavy rains and thunderstorms, today was a layover for everyone.  RAGTIME, SEVILLA, PINNACLE and BRUNELLE are staying at their marina today. BRUNELLE still has issues with the engine.  Add to their woes, Martha seems to have developed Shingles on her leg. She was able to go to the pharmacy for topical medication.  We were fortunate, it showered on and off for most of the day, until about 4 PM.  That’s when the heavier stuff began to fall.
 

En Vogue: A Tiny Houseboat

        Everyone is staying put another day due to the heavy rains forecasted for tomorrow. News from our fellow travelers is that they will be on the move Wednesday to Southport Village Marina.  We tried to get reservations, but they are full.
    After dinner we were able to watch some TV, which is a novelty.

ICW Mile Marker    296 (Layover)

0.0 Hours       (Total 75.0 Hours)
0.0 Miles       (Total 467.6 Miles)

Interesting Travels Interspersed with Beauty

SEVILLA faces the rising sun

     As I mentioned last night, 5:30 comes mighty fast. We did what needed to be done and has our anchor pulled by 6:25. The sunrise was spectacular. Thank heavens for my camera that just happens to have a phone attached to it!  While at the helm, I was able to capture the sunrise over the ICW.

 

Another for my favorites list!

    Today’s plan calls for us to travel 16 miles make the 9AM opening of the Surf City Bridge.  That will allow us cover the 18 miles to make the 11:30 opening of the Island Figure Eight Bridge.  Since we only move at 6-7 mph, there is no way to make the 5 mile trip to the Wrightsville Bridge for the noon opening. Instead, PEKABU made the opening at 1 as both the Surf City and the Wrightsville Bridges only open on the hour. RAGTIME, SEVILLA and PINNACLE stopped about 10 miles north of Wrightsville Beach to spend the night at Harbor Village Marina. BRUNELLE joined them a little later in the day.


PINNACLE, RAGTIME and SEVILLA

    All day the currents were constantly changing due to the many ocean inlets.  We would drop to 4 miles or fly at 8 mph depending on the direction of the current. Shoaling was a constant concern, but staying mid channel really helped.  Unfortunately, I had my first grounding at buoy 105 because the green mark was slightly out of place, so I went too far to the right.  Thankfully, we backed off and continued on.

 

RAGTIME and PINNACLE at
the Island Figure 8 Bridge

    Sometimes, or rather many times, you have to wonder just “what was he thinking!?!”  We were towards the back of 17 boats waiting for the Wrightsville Bridge opening. As usual, the power boats figure they are faster, so they should go through the bridge opening first so they don’t have to slowly pass the sailboats. Usually that is no problem . . .well, until today,  Just below the bridge, the ICW is lined with boats in docks.  Two of the big boats apparently had reservations on the first dock.  Both boats made the turn to the right just after the bridge.  While the first boat was docking, the second boat simply backed up into the channel while the rest of the boats were going through.  Needless to say there were many near misses while the captain of the vessel was totally oblivious!


Power boats make the journey too

 

Fishing in the shallows

    Despite all the Sunday boaters buzzing up and down the waterway, the rest of the trip went rather smoothly. That is until we came to Snows Cut.  Pete had been on the phone, very involved solving problems with his client for most of the afternoon.  When we arrived in the Carolina Beach area, the charts didn’t make sense to me.  Rather than interrupt Pete’s call, I slowed and began to make circles.  When he finally took note of where we were, he told me to go under the bridge.  The problem was that I could not see depth markings or the channel on the electronic chart.  I way really concerned about traveling in unknown depths.  Thankfully, Pete ended his call and took the helm through the cut.  He explained that for some unknown reason, the information disappeared for that area, but he knew we had plenty of water.




People had gnomes. . . then angels, but a giraffe the a new standard

Sunday's pastime



Family fun time













Constantly impressed with the strong currents











The Marina next to Snows Cut

Sunset at Carolina Beach State Park

 




    As we exited the Cut, the entrance to Carolina Beach State Park Marina was just to our left.  We filled up on fuel ($2.84 instead of the $1.67 per gallon we spotted earlier in our trip!) then tied up at our dock.  This is a beautiful little marina and at $30 flat docking fee, it is quite a bargain.  We'll stay here and let the rest of the group catch up.
 

ICW Mile Marker    296

 7.5 Hours       (Total 75.0 Hours)
52.4 Miles       (Total 467.6 Miles)

Trick or Treat!

     It was a beautiful sunrise. After a quick glimpse, but no photo, I went back to bed for a few more winks. Today was a resting day for the crews of RAGTIME, SEVILLA and PEKABU.  We were the only boats remaining by 9 am.  We are hoping PINNACLE joins us today and that BRUNELLE can resume her voyage south.
 

"Do we have to go back to the boat?"

 
    For Pete, this is another work day.  A special project needs to be completed within in the next few days, so he’ll be working tomorrow, too. I tried to stay out of his way, so the rear cabin was reorganized and I made Pete’s favorite dessert, Apple Cheese Torte, for his birthday.  Since I was at the helm most of the travel yesterday, I couldn’t bake. 

"She left without me!"

     I took the dinghy and visited the others to inform them that we had a special dessert to share around 3:30. Jeanne and Gerry offered to host the get together and we would dinghy the others to RAGTIME.
     The TRICK:  By the time we were to start the pickups, PINNACLE had arrived.  Their trip was troublesome.  Even being careful with the directions we sent, they ran hard aground at high tide and needed Tow Boat’s assistance to get off. They also punctured their dinghy while exiting their slip in strong currents within the marina.
     The TREAT: So we gathered as planned. Over dessert, we discussed a number of things: how best to deal with the storms due on Monday, should we stay here or travel further to a marina and await BRUNELLE’s arrival, marina options, etc.  Daylight Savings Time ends tonight.  That means a very early start in the morning.
    That said, I think we need to turn in. Our 6:30 am departure means up at 5:30. Dog need to be walked and dinghy hoisted before we can pull the anchor, so . . .’Nite all.

ICW Mile Marker    245 (Layover)

 0.0 Hours       (Total 68.5 Hours)
 0.0 Miles       (Total 415.2 Miles

Shoaling and More

Fishermen at sunrise

     Everyone was ready at 7:30. We helped SEVILLA leave the slip before we did the same.
     The currents by the bridge were substantial enough to swing the boats about 10 foot sideways. Once we cleared the inlet, we upped our speed to 9.5-10 mph rather than the 3.5-4 mph we encountered yesterday before turning around. Amazing what strong currents can do!



Different mood on the Sound

    We traveled south for almost 3 hours on the western shore of the Bogue Sound. To look at it you would think it’s a great place to boat/sail. More than a mile wide and 20+ miles long, but looks are deceiving.  Drift out of the 75 foot wide channel and there is 1-4 feet of water in most places. Considering PEKABU needs 5 + feet of water to keep floating. We passed a waterman standing in the shallows outside his boat clamming. At one point, we encountered a north bound fisherman, with his out-riggers extended, fishing the channel!  We could only move over a little or be in the shallows.


The fish wing boat with outriggers 

     After yesterdays mild weather, today’s winds were for the NW and the temps were a good 10 degrees cooler.  Thank heavens for the enclosure!
 

Tiny fishing shack that's for sale

    I had the helm for most of the trip.  It was a working day for Pete. Gerry, from RAGTIME, was our lead for the day. Even though Pete was working, he kept tabs and had me share info he had researched for today’s travels.


The Marines

   As we passed through Swansboro, we were passed by two Marine inflatables with very tired, but friendly crews.  This morning was another joint military exercise at Camp Legune. They were probably returning to “War Ship 21,” the Naval ship off shore in the Atlantic.

     More frustrating were the recreational fishermen, who almost completely blocked the channel with the small boats, and lines cast from both sides of their boats.  I had to pass outside the channel with less than 1.5 feet under my keel.  In the channel I always had 9 foot or more.


Warning to take seriously

 

Destroyed targets and the War Ship 21

    By the time we reached the Camp, we were permitted passage as that part of the exercise affecting the ICW was now over.  As we passed the partial previously demolished military tanks on the ocean side dunes, we could see the naval vessel in the distance. 



Trouble going aground and
 help from WEZZIE B

Oslow Beach Swing Bridge

     The Cruiser’s Net constantly updates information on areas traveled by boaters.  There has been much chatter about the shoaling (shallow areas) in a number of areas. We were fortunate to miss the ones on Bogue Sound. However, the area by Buoy 62 within the Camp Legune area, proved to be problematic.  We had been following a larger sailboat, which was very cautious in the noted areas. At this buoy, he followed earlier info that took him too far right and hard aground.  The cabin cruiser behind him called out depth information as they slowly made their way forward.  Gerry on RAGTIME slowly maneuvered based on the radioed information, but came to a sudden stop when he hit a shelf. His depth finder went from reading 6 feet under the keel to a dead stop. Trying to go around him, Glen on SEVILLA, also went aground. Thankfully, they both were able to back off.  Pete took the helm and gently inched forward following the suggestions from the Cruiser’s Net.  The other two boats followed us without further excitement.  As we continued towards the bridge, looking back I saw another sailboat also go hard aground.  While traveling to our destination only a few miles more, we heard of at least 5 boats needing assistance.


Pete and Bailey making rounds

Bailey catching rays

The golden hour
has arrived

     We were able to drop anchor in Mile Hammock Bay.  It is a previously used amphibious landing area.  Now it’s a great anchorage for us cruisers.  By nightfall, there were 29 boats at anchor. If it wasn’t for the bugs, we would have enjoyed the spectacular starlit sky, perfectly clear and no ambient light.
   We heard back from Dan, BRUNELLE has alternator problems. Hopefully, they will be solved and perhaps back on their way south.  All of here are keeping our fingers crossed.

A cloudless sunset

Pete also sent everyone a picture of our track through the troublesome Buoy 62 area.  Hopefully, PINNACLE and BRUNELLE can use it to help stay clear of the shallows.

     Since it is Pete’s birthday, I made chicken parmesan with a salad and ice cream for dessert. Then we just sat and read until bedtime.

Twilight on Mile Hammock Bay

ICW Mile Marker    245

 6.0 Hours       (Total 68.5 Hours)
42.0 Miles       (Total 415.2 Miles)

To Morehead City, But Not Quite As Planned



A beautiful sunrise

Looking down the entrance to River Dunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne on RAGTIME

   

   We were up early and ready to cast off by 8AM. Unfortunately, the marina was understaffed and there was a line of 10 people waiting to checkout.  SEVILLA and PEKABU needed fuel, so that delayed us even more.  PINNACLE would be leaving later and traveling a different route due to the water depths and bridges.  Hopefully, we will meet up again in our travels.      It was closer to 9:30 when we exited the marina, but didn’t go far.  BRUNELLE’s engine kept cutting out. After 40 minutes or so, Dan managed to get it up and running, but there were still issues.  As a result, we traveled slowly just in case BRUNELLE needed a tow.  The Wind and Current gods were not favoring us.  BRUNELLE could get no assist from the wind.

Nothing like a big barge  needing
to make the turn coming at us!

     At the top of Adams Creek, we had to swing far to the extreme right of the channel.  A tug pushing a barge was just about to make the turn towards us. There were reports of “lots of logs” in the Creek.  We looked hard, but didn’t find any. Due to the hazy overcast, this area was not as picturesque as our initial trip, but still interesting.  The creek is about 150 feet wide, with many houses lining the banks.  What I did find interesting, were the signs.
 

BRUNELLE's stop tonight

    Partially down the creek, Dan called to say that they were going into Bock’s Marina for engine help.  Hopefully, they will catch up tomorrow or the next day.  

Another busy industrial port

    RAGTIME, SEVILLA and PEKABU continued on.  The original plan was to stay in Dudley’s Marina in Swansboro, 68 miles from River Dunes. With the late start, slower travel and the strong currents against us, by 3:30 we had only made it to Morehead City. After a quick discussion about the time needed to make Swansboro figuring on the currents (it would have been close to 10 PM!), we went to ‘Plan B’. We did a U-turn, headed back under the bridge, and called Morehead City Yacht Marine, booking dockage for the night.
 

Morehead City displaying their finest colors

    The others took a taxi to Beaufort to look around and catch up with PINNACLE, who docked there due to currents and water depth at the bridge.
     We did some chores, trip planning for tomorrow and reading. We plan to leave early to catch the flood tide heading south, so by 9:30 we called it a night.



ICW Mile Marker    204

 5.5 Hours       (Total 62.5 Hours)

 37.4 Miles      (Total 373.2 Miles)