Cape Lookout and heading North

5/14/16    To 34 36.932N,  76 32.133W    Cape Lookout Bight Anchorage    69.9NM

It was foggy, not bright, when we got up early to head offshore for Beaufort (Bowfort - this is NC).  Several of the boats anchored near us had already departed - either braving the ICW in the fog or offshore like us.  We felt our way our cautiously, using radar to be sure to avoid the dredge equipment just off the channel S of the anchorage.  The foggy conditions didn't seem to slow down the weekend fishermen who were in a hurry not to let the big one get away, and we were glad the fog had thinned some so they were easier to see.

Foggy departure from Wrightsville Beach

With fog, there was little wind, and the SW wind didn't make an appearance until after lunch, so the batteries got a good charge and we'd have plenty of hot water.  By 1300, the wind had filled in enough to sail.  A number of other cruising boats were taking advantage of the relatively smooth sailing, or motoring, since most were power boats.  It is surprising how long it takes for the swell to smooth out - it hadn't been windy most of the night, so the swell was around 2', with trains of 3-4' every so often, still providing a bit of a rolling ride as we headed downwind.

Being a weekend, the Beaufort Inlet would be awash with local fishermen, most at full throttle, throwing what we refer to as maximum wake, and we'd be entering on an ebb current late in the afternoon when they'd be heading home.  Add to that, a forecast for the wind to blow from the SW during the evening, switching to NNW after midnight and picking up into the 20s and gusting, not ideal for anchoring in Taylor Creek by town.  Thanks to the ebb flow, it would be after dark before we'd reach the anchorage at Adam's Creek, so we rethought our plans, and headed toward the Bight by Cape Lookout, about 6NM E of the inlet.

Light house at Cape Lookout

After crossing the channel into Beaufort, the wind picked up, nudging 20kts, a bit more than we needed or wanted as we headed toward the commercial shrimping fleet by the Bight.  While the anchorage has plenty of room, there are a number of shoals to be avoided, and the progression from the 12'-6'-3' depths (anchoring areas) along edges are tight, not great with a wind shift in the middle of the night.  After reading Active Captain, Leonard decided to try the area off the SE part of the harbor.  It's interesting when the bottom doesn't really match either the old paper chart or the newer one on the plotter, so we left a close track, just in case we needed to backtrack as we worked our way in, and anchored behind another sailboat and a houseboat closer to shore.

Sunset at the Cape Lookout Bight

We both woke up when the wind switched around 0200 and were happy the anchor drag alarm was silent - a sign the anchor was holding in the 20kt gusts.  While it didn't qualify as a peaceful night, the waves weren't all that big given the fetch.  It was nice to have the lighthouse's revolving beacon pinpointing a fixed position.

With the current ebbing in the morning until noon, and the Neuse River, just beyond the Adam's Creek anchorage exposed to the north winds, it make sense to wait until the wind dropped some.   Leaving Cape Lookout, we'd be able to hug the shore with a bit of sail, staying out of the bigger seas, to the Beaufort Inlet, and then head up the ICW.  The weather will dictate where we head next.

5/15/16    To 35 12.604N,   76 35.471W    Gale Creek 'G23'    45.8NM

We spent a leisurely morning relaxing inside the bight at Cape Lookout, waiting for the N wind to die down.  NOAA had the forecast spot on, having issued small craft advisories from 2000 Saturday evening until 1100 Sunday with a wind shift at 0000.  While the wind didn't switch until 0200, it did switch and blow, waking both of us up when it did.  A look outside and a check of the anchor drag confirmed all was well, so we went back to bed, listening to the wind blow into the 20's.

While we ate dinner Saturday evening, we listened to the CG trying to contact a vessel, first by vessel name, type (fishing), and then including the captain's name,  multiple times without any response.  The next announcement, a pan pan call (one level below a mayday) indicated the vessel's EPIRB had gone off - not a good sign, and anyone in the vicinity of a set of coordinates off Cape Lookout should be on the look out and lend assistance.  The next update included a vessel description, a 24' center console open boat with 4 persons on board.  Leonard checked the coordinates which were 20 NM offshore, not a place I'd want to be in of 20 kt winds with stronger gusts and seas building 4-6'.  Not sure what they were doing so far out with small craft advisories having been posted during the day - it's too far for cell coverage, and without a mast to raise an antenna, most likely beyond VHF range of the CG.  We never did hear what happened, but hopefully the problem was resolved with a good ending.

 

 

Fishing fleet off Cape Lookout Bight (stitched photo and we were bobbing)

We raised anchor a bit before 1100, planning to sail in the lee of the shore to the Beaufort inlet.  First we had to negotiate the local fishing fleet - I lost count around 24 as we rounded the tip of the bight, not including the commercial boats dragging nets.  To our amazement, the wind went too light to sail. 

Potash facility a Morehead City - loaded barges use the ICW

We had far less local traffic than anticipated in the channel and inlet, so our mid day timing was good, all the locals were already out fishing, and we were out of sync for the cruising fleet on the ICW.  It made for an easy trip past the Morehead City docks, and with the help of a flood current, we turned into Adam's Creek sooner than expected.  Life is so much easier when you aren't fighting current, wind and traffic. 

During the NOAA weather broadcasts this spring along the east coast, we've heard mention of a S to N current, and had the good fortune to have ridden one most of the way since departing the Bahamas.  As a consequence, most days track distance traveled  has been greater than our knot meter log reading, a definite switch from past experience (other than the Gulf Stream), and much appreciated.

The new 65' bridge bypassing Beaufort at Town Creek  when completed, this will limit the mast height to the marine facilities up the Newport River

We stopped to take on diesel at Sea Gate Marina, up a short 6+' deep channel off the ICW (out of the current).  It does require a 180 in a  narrow area (unless you want to back in or out), and the owner said she'd never seen a smoother turn and docking than what Leonard executed.   (It did require some backing and filling to get the bow around, and the lack of wind and current helped).  We took on 16.6 gallons, about 1/2 tank, since Fernandina Beach, not bad, since we've been able to do more sailing than on past trips.

Our beautiful sunny, warm weather was forecast to end by mid week, although the various forecasters weren't in agreement on when or even how much rain we could expect.  Wanting to make use of the good weather while we had it, we pressed on rather than stopping early at the Adam's Creek anchorage we've used in the past.  After careful consideration and with some regrets, we ruled out going to Ocracoke, one of our favorite stops.  There was enough rain and NE winds forecast that we realized we might get stuck there, and would have to return to the ICW rather than run the sound just inside of the outer banks, which can be nasty in any breeze from a northerly direction.  

Tug and empty barge combo heading east from the channel by 'G23'

With a bit of NW wind, we raised sail in the Neuse River and headed for the Gale Creek anchorage just off the ICW we used last fall.  The wind god was capricious, giving us puffs of wind and then going light, but we were sailing in the direction we wanted to go.  After clearing the last shoal, the wind piped up to 18kts - more than desired, but with only a couple of miles before the channel turned into the wind, we didn't reef.  It was one of our more pleasant experiences on the Neuse River, which can be a difficult patch of water to cross when the wind pipes up.  We were anchored by 1945, in 9' of water, about 300' from the channel, which is shared with tugs and barges, and settled in for the night. 

Since we motored the final leg, I'd prepped dinner underway, allowing us to eat dinner before dark.  Not unexpectedly, we were driven below by hordes of mosquitoes as the wind died and darkness arrived.  It was a very quiet night.  Although we'd passed a couple of tug/barge combos before we'd anchored, we didn't feel any pass during the night.

Sundown as we anchor off 'G23' at Gale Creek

5/16/16    To  35 55.743N,    75 54.948W    East and South Lake off the Alligator River    68.5NM

In the morning, the cockpit was filled with mosquitoes, most either too cold or newly hatched to fly, that we wanted to remove before they had us for breakfast. Still undecided where we'd like to be when the weather deteriorated mid week, we were underway shortly after 0630, hoping to at least reach Bear Point on the Alligator River, taking advantage of the morning calm.  As we headed back to the channel, the sail boat that had been ahead of us Sunday (they anchored off Bear Creek, which looked intriguing, but was a bit further off the ICW) was approaching.

What we refer to as 'maximum wake', although most slow before passing, not all do

Before we reached the Pamlico River, we spotted the first eagles on our trip N.  One disadvantage of going offshore is the lack of wildlife we see along the ICW.  We both enjoy watching the various birds seen overhead and along the banks of the ICW.  By comparison, sailing offshore, while easier in many respects, is boring with little to see other than waves and water.

With very little wind, it was easy motoring, and Leonard decided to go a bit further to try a different anchorage either in East or South Lake, east of the mouth of the Alligator River, just before the shoals leading out to the sound.  We'd hoped to sail several of the broader areas, but most of the time the wind was too light and much too variable to just sail.  It was the one of the few days since we started N that we didn't sail at least part of the day.

One of the turtles basking in the sun along the Alligator/Pungo Canal

The Alligator Pungo Canal hasn't gotten shorter over the years, just wider, thanks to the wakes of the power boats that transit at full throttle.
Unfortunately, it only looks wider, although the dredged channel has been maintained at least 12' by the Army Corps of Engineers.  There were fewer deadheads and snags than we've seen on some past trips, so along with dredging, they also have removed some of the hazards to navigation.

Snags and dead heads from the canal piled on the bank

A navy fighter passing over the boat (F18?)

Leonard's high point for the day was watching jets do the military practice bombing runs, with screaming overhead on a low level passes.  Mine occurred simultaneously when I spotted something floating in the water.  There really are bears in NC, and one was swimming across the canal as we neared the end.  It took some prodding to get him to focus the camera down instead of up.  We've watched the fighters on almost every trip through this area - they are interesting, especially the night runs when you see the after burners, but we've never seen a bear before.

A bear swimming across the canal

After spending the afternoon transiting the Alligator River, and passing through the Alligator swing bridge, we approached the turnoff to the E for an anchorage in either E or S Lake, 2 smaller bodies of water to the E, before we'd negotiate the ever changing shoals out of the river.  Although there is water outside the dredged channel along the ICW on the Alligator River, there may be remnants of old day marks to be avoided.  Once again, it was one of our easier passages - the river is a large enough body of water to kick up good sized seas in any strong N or S wind.

'America', out of Sag Harbor, a beautiful 72' wooden vessel built in 1965 that pasted us on the Alligator River

The Alligator River swing bridge

We picked our way through the pot bobbers and anchored more or less at the confluence of  East and South Lakes, joining a German flagged vessel anchored nearby.  It's interesting to explore new anchorages along the way - this one was fine for a calm night, in a blow, we'd have needed to go further in to find a more sheltered spot (we were hoping for fewer mosquitoes).

Dusk at the anchorage by East and South lakes

5/17/16    To 36 38.658N,  76 03.620W    North Landing River 'R32'    53.2NM

With rain in the forecast Tuesday, we got an early start planning to stop at the free dock at Great Bridge.  We had some nice sailing on the Ablemare Sound, North River and Currituck Sound, passing through Coinjock before noon.  When I mentioned trying to time the series of bridges along this portion of the ICW, we dug out our old Skipper Bob book and realized we'd miss the 1600 opening at the Centerville Turnpike Bridge by 30 minutes, too much to make up - the next opening not until 1800.  Drats!  A check on Active Captain confirmed the times, so we looked for options.  Leonard suggested anchoring just S of the bridge and waiting for 1800.  I pointed an area we saw and noted last year, charted with 11-16' depths off the channel, just past 'R32'.  Investigating that looked to be a better idea since we could see the rain approaching from the W.

Add captionLocal watermen, pulling pots in the North River

We can verify that the chart is wrong.  While we didn't see anything deeper than 10', and much of it less, we did find enough room to anchor in 9' out of the channel (hopefully some tug pushing a barge won't miss the turn).  It wasn't perfect, but it would do in light winds with the possibility of thunderstorms low - we'd just be pestered with rain and drizzle associated with a warm front until sometime Wednesday. 

Anchored off R32 in the North Landing River - note occupied osprey nest in the daymark

We'll do some planning in the morning before heading to Great Bridge to time the bridge restrictions.  We'll deal with one more headache at SM 5.8, N of the Great Bridge Lock, where the N&S RR Bridge is undergoing repairs, and closed M-TH 0900 - 1300.  With a 7' clearance, no one gets through unless it's up (it usually is, unless a train is due).  We'll try to time our arrival better - that leaves the Gilmerton Bridge, just N of the RR bridge, as the last restricted bridge on the ICW.  This year, we managed to miss most of the bridges along the ICW by going offshore.

Lynnea