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

To North Carolina

5/11-12/16    34 12.331N    77 48.029W    Offshore - Wrightsville Beach, NC    138.9NM

It was just too tempting and I was disappointed, but not surprised, when a spring stop at Caper's Island was cancelled in lieu of an offshore hop to Southport and up the Cape Fear River.  Since we didn't want to fight the current heading out of Charleston (or have the ebb pinning us to the dock) we planned to depart around 1200, giving us time to do a load of laundry, pick up treats at Saffron and go for a walk.

An Ansonboro pocket park

Charleston has a number of neighborhoods that, in the era of the plantations, were 'suburbs', that have become part of Charleston.  Ansonboro, an old African-American neighborhood, is one we've explored in the past, and has some interesting homes and, like the rest of Charleston, a number of churches.  This time, we walked through Waggsboro, a mix of older homes and what looked like well kept project housing, with the neighborhood in the process of being 'gentrified', an interesting mix.

'Kermit' occupying a bench by the aquarium

By 1330, we'd cleared the Charleston breakwater and were sailing N toward Southport where we'd rejoin the ICW, heading for the anchorage at Wrightsville Beach.  It was another down wind run, which translated into another rocking and rolling sail, making it difficult to keep both sails filled in the following seas.  Of course, the rocking got more pronounced when it was time to make dinner, and continued through the night, but we were sailing.

Outbound, sharing the channel with a container ship - Charleston harbor was busy

Sundown on the way to Cape Fear

Eventually around 0400, the wind went light, but with the seas still 3-4', it became difficult to keep the main from backing as the wind switched between 120 off starboard to 120 off port, and we turned on the motor to keep up our speed and cause less wear and tear on the sail.  Motoring allowed us to catch the flood current up the Cape Fear River - a real plus as it can run over 2 kts!

Light house on Bald Head Island at the entrance to the Cape Fear River

It had been another boring, non-eventful night offshore, the bright point being dolphins that appeared while I was doing the 0600 log reading.  They swam with us for 10 minutes - more than enough to keep me awake and interested.  By 1030, we'd reached the entrance to the Cape Fear River, thankful for the healthy boost from the current.  Both of us were ready to call it a day by the time we reached the anchorage at Wrightsville Beach (about 14NM beyond the river on the ICW).  We were too tired to even consider launching the dinghy.

One of the many pelicans we saw looking for a meal on the Cape Fear River

Thunderheads had built up over the afternoon, and not long after we anchored, we watched more than enough down strokes to be  thankful we hadn't pressed on to Beaufort.  Luckily the worst of the storm went around us.  After checking the weather forecast- a front arriving with more thunderstorms  the next afternoon, we considered getting an early start in the morning to beat the front to Mile Hammock, the anchorage in the Marine Base at Camp Lejeaune. 

5/13/16    Wrightsville Beach Layday

But when we woke up in the morning, we decided to wait, and let the front blow past, besides, it was Friday the 13th, not that we're superstitious. With time before the front arrived, we launched the dinghy and went ashore after breakfast, and walked over to West Marine to get head chemical.  With the weather still not threatening after lunch, we went back ashore for some frozen custard and a walk on the beach (3+ miles hadn't been enough of a walk).  Our return to the boat was well timed - with dark clouds approaching, we managed to get the dinghy back on deck before the storm arrived.  Although the worst of the storm, once again missed us, there was enough lightening to re-purpose the oven as a Faraday Box for the laptop, camera and other electronic devices.

As I was preparing dinner, the Captain announced we'd be heading offshore, bright and early in the morning, for Beaufort (or beyond), a 70+NM trip, that we can complete before sundown now that the days are longer.  This hop avoids a batch of ill timed (for a sail boat) restricted bridges on the ICW, and saves a travel day.  We'll take another look at the weather in the morning before heading out.

Lynnea

Charleston

5/9-10/16  At  32 47.368N,   79 55.452W    Charleston Maritime Center

A shrimper trawling his nets in the inlet at Charleston

As we ate breakfast, a replica galleon that had been on the dock at the Maritime Center departed.  We hadn't had time to really take a look at it before it left, but did spot a Spanish flag atop on of the spars.

Replica of a Spanish galleon departing the Maritime Center

Charleston has been one of our favorite stops, and staying at the Maritime Center has the advantage of being centrally located and within easy walking distance of a Harris Teetor super market and Saffron, an interesting bakery.  Although we were both tired after the night offshore (neither of us gets a lot of sleep), we went exploring after a quick lunch. 

St. Michael's Church - one of many church spires in Charleston

Yellow crowned night heron preening on her nest

In spring, Charleston is filled with the sweet scent of jasmine and viburnum that seem to be everywhere.  We arrive too late to see the azaleas and rhododendrons blooming in the gardens, but the window boxes are filled with a wide array of colors and plants.  It's also nesting season at the yellow-crowned night heron rookery tucked into the live oaks in Battery Park. I'm always amazed that these birds can coexist with all visitors (and dogs) in the park, but they seem oblivious to them (and most people equally oblivious to the herons overhead), and can be seen, sitting on nests or preening in the limbs overhead.

Colorful window box

Garden with a window

Wrought iron gate

Gate into a garden with a fountain

I suspect we include photos of the same houses, gates and churches every year, but they are interesting.  Many of the buildings on the peninsula date back to the mid 1700's when the Europeans began settling the area and are listed with the Preservation Society which was founded in 1920 as a means of preserving historic buildings.  They've done a terrific job, as most of the buildings have been restored and kept up through the decades, no small feat in a warm, salty environment.

Miles Brewton house and gate, built between 1765-69 

The early version of 'barb wire' on top the fence caught my eye

Detail of the early 'barb wire'

Walking through city, I've compared it with Burlington over the years, and came to the conclusion that while they share many similarities, Charleston has more churches and restaurants per capita.  However, in my opinion, being a farmer's market person, Burlington is hard to beat for variety, quality, and size, and the fact all vendors must grow or produce everything they sell.  Both are great places with lots of history. 

This frog caught my eye

When checking the delivery schedule for the windlass gears, we were pleased to see the 'on the truck to be delivered' Tuesday morning.  Leonard began disassembling the windlass - not an easy job when the boat has been in a salt water environment.  Upon occasion, the unit has gone home, placed in a vise and whacked numerous times to get it apart.  Miraculously, it came apart more easily than at any time in the past for maintenance (this is the 2nd set of gears he's replaced).  While waiting for the gears to arrive, he removed the solenoids, and checked and cleaned the connections on them.

While waiting, we walked over to Harris Teetor and filled 2 back packs and several bags with more provisions - the next place to do so will be Great Bridge, just S of Norfolk (one advantage of doing this trip so many times, is knowing where to get provisions and do laundry).  By the time we returned, the shipment had arrived, now for the reassemble.

In a perfect world, everything works like a charm.  Contrary to the slick brochures, boating is rarely a perfect world.  It was the right part, but the shaft was just a hair too big, resulting in a bit of elbow grease with some sand paper.  Eventually things slid into place, and all that remained to do was get it greased, reinstalled, the teak cover in the cabin screwed back in place and clean up the mess .  Around 1800, the task was successfully completed and the up button took up the chain, and the down button lowered it (he got it backward one year).  Having a working windlass is wonderful - you never know when you might need to raise the anchor in a hurry, or use the windlass to kedge off a shoal, (we've done both) and having a functioning windlass makes either situation less stressful.

We finally headed over to N King Street for a celebratory dinner around 1930, savoring some great food at Smoke BBQ washed down with a pint of bourbon ale, ending with a visit to the place on the corner for some home made ice cream.  Given the calories consumed, we should have walked down to the Battery before going back to the boat!

We'll head on our way tomorrow, no rush, since we want the current pushing us off the dock and high tide to negotiate the shoals by the Ben Sawyer Bridge.  I  plan to walk over to Saffron for bread and treats after tossing a load of laundry in the washer (free at the marina).  Most likely we'll stop at Whiteside Creek, and if we arrive early enough, launch the dinghy and go check out the impoundment  for birds, and the beach at Capers Island.  It's always been a stop on the trip S, but we've never gone ashore in the spring.

Now that we have another sunny day, Leonard is reconsidering our options (why am I not surprised??) and is considering riding the falling tide and going offshore to Southport (or possibly Beaufort) to rock and roll in the 3' swell in a light SW wind for another over night (or 2).  Looks like the horse is smelling the hay in the barn, and I won't be watching the wild life along the salt marshes.  However, it seems to be foolish to waste a decent weather window.  We both agree, although rolling in a following wind and sea gets tiring, it beats going to windward.

Lynnea

Cumberland Island

5/7/16   To  30 45.825N,    81 28.378W    7.2NM    Cumberland Island, GA

 
By the time we'd finished the laundry and returned the car, it was noon.  Knowing we'd get a late start, we only planned going as far as Cumberland Island, and that anchorage would give us the option of heading offshore it the wind and weather cooperated on Sunday. 
Cumberland is also one of our favorite stops, so we left the outboard on the dinghy planning to go ashore for a walk.  The falling tide gave us a boost until we got to the St. Mary's River where, while still flowing out, we were going upstream, fortunately we didn't have far to go.  It was a beautiful day, and lots of local boaters were out fishing and enjoying a day on the water, including a tour group  of little tandem rental boats from the marina.
The park docks, which had been 'under improvements' when we'd visited in November, had been rebuilt, widened and moved out further into the water, had a number of both dinghies and local runabouts tied up.  Being a weekend day, lots of folks were enjoying the park.  We joined them, hiking our usual loop over to the beach, south for a mile or so, across a boardwalk and dunes to the marsh board walk, past Dungeness to the work dock and along the river to the dinghy dock.

Olive shell with its foot out burrowing back into the sand

Oyster catcher working on a shark's eye snail
An olive shell's opening is narrow and probably more difficult to remove the meat

I don't think we've ever seen quite such a low tide in the past.  The beach went way out, exposing several shallow ridges that would normally be under water.  The low water must have confused the olive shells as we saw quite a few, all occupied, trying to work their way down under the sand until the tide came back in.  Several were at 90 degrees to the surface, and about 1/2 buried.  While I've collected 'vacant' ones on the beach here in the past, I never realized how the creatures that live in the shells moved.  If they're on  the surface their vulnerable to becoming a meal for one of the shore birds.  We watched a couple of oyster catchers pecking away at what turned out to be a shark's eye snail.

Great egret and a little blue heron

 

Salt marsh at a negative 1' low tide

The park service folks have been busy this winter.  Along with the improved dock, the Dungeness crossing boardwalk had been rebuilt and lengthened, as had the dune crossing by the camp grounds.  While we saw a number of dragon flies, there weren't the swarms we saw last May.  When we reached the marsh boardwalk, there were more oyster beds and mud flats covered than water.  A small runabout looked like they were waiting for the tide to rise to have sufficient water to leave.  As it rose, the man used a little trolling motor on the bow to slowly work their way downstream.

Grazing horses at Dungeness ruins

It must be spring!  the canopy was filled with bird song, unfortunately it's difficult to see the birds hidden in the leaves, and I'm not great at knowing birds by their songs.  We'd been warned by the ranger when we checked in that the horses were a bit feisty, but those we saw, including a small dark colt, seemed more interested in grazing that tourists.  It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
With favorable winds forecast until mid week, we put the dinghy on deck, planning an 0400 start in the morning, for a long day to St. Catherine's Sound, riding the end of the ebb current out the river. 
5/8/2016   Offshore
We were awake before the 4 AM alarm and had the anchor up and underway with the outgoing current by 0415. The favorable current held until we turned out of St Mary's entrance channel at 0540.  With a west wind, we ran out the jib and shut down the engine - heading for St Catherine's Island, planning to arrive at Walburg Creek around 1700, after a 70+ NM day.
Around noon, Leonard took a closer look at the chart plotter, and suggested an overnight run to Charleston (gotta make up for the day we couldn't move!).  Under these conditions it would be a fairly easy run, motoring if the wind was too light to sail and we'd arrive in the morning.  The only catch was we had reservations at the marina starting Thursday, not Monday, and the marina is usually full during snowbird season.  We called the marina too see if we could change our marina dates.  We could, but we'd be on  the 'tricky' dock, with sideways current,  and the dock guy suggested arriving before 1130 (the current really runs here, making docking sideways to it difficult). 

Sunset with clear skies

So we settled in for an overnight sail.  Other than a few hours mid day, when the wind went light, we sailed, once again running a bit more down wind when the wind shifted into the SW, and picked up to 15kts.  The 15kts of wind built the waves into the 4' range, not bad, but the 'down wind roll' gradually became more evident during the afternoon, and I decided to fix dinner before it more pronounced.
We debated what sail combination would work best for running overnight, and, since we already had the main out and tied down with a line to prevent an accidental jibe, we rolled in the jib. While going offshore is  easier than dealing with traffic and currents in the ICW, a down side is the lack of wildlife to break the monotony of the waves - there's a lot more to look at along the ICW.  So when just before sunset, we were joined by a playful pair of dolphins off the Savannah River, they made our day, staying with us until it was too dark to see them.
5/9/2016     To 32 47.368N,  79 55.453W   Charleston Maritime Center 164.5 NM
  

Passing an outbound freighter as we enter Charleston

The wind held until 0430, when our speed dropped below 3 kts, we started motoring to make sure we arrived before the current switched.  If only the wave height would drop at the same time the wind does!  For once we arrived at the inlet when the tide was flooding, and had a fast trip into the harbor.  I was surprised when Leonard woke me, telling me we were 15 minutes out.  Just before 0945, we were on the dock at the marina, having been underway just under 30 hours with the log reading 154NM.  When we checked the track distance, we'd done another 10NM (translates as 2 hours at 5kts), thanks to having the current helping much of the trip, and we'd sailed about 20 hours of the trip.  No need to stop at the fuel dock since the gauge still read full.
After giving the boat a good wash, especially along the hull where the fenders would be against the hull during ebb current, we wandered ashore to get some exercise.  Both of us were looking forward to an early night.
Lynnea

Fernandina Beach Ongoing Saga

5/5/16    Still Firmly in Place

Hi,

While I was fixing dinner, Leonard thought our position had changed enough on the plotter to indicate we were possibly free from our obstruction.  Given it was still gusting around 30, neither of us really wanted to try pulling and resetting the anchor somewhere else.  We figured, if we'd managed to get untangled with the change in the current, the conditions would be the same in the morning, and we'd try then.  The wind finally died back to under 10kts during the night, a welcome change!

Conditions in the Fernandina Beach anchorage with gusts into the 30s

5/7/16   Free and to the Dock  30 40.318N,  81 27.944W,  0.2NM

We were up and attempted to haul the anchor before 0700, but the result was the same, a sharp jerk down at the bow, but no resulting release.  Time for breakfast.  We were having pancakes and when I tested the skillet to see if it was hot, saw both fires had gone out.  Not a good sign when I haven't had my coffee yet.  Although this propane tank should have lasted until we were home, the gauge read 0 - there would be no pancakes for breakfast.  Luckily the water was just hot enough to make coffee.  We'd scheduled a lay over here and reserved a car to get propane and do some major provisioning.  Until last fall, propane was available within walking distance of the city marina at a gas station turned cafe (that has really great cinnamon rolls).  Now the closest refill is at an ACE hardware store - beyond walking or biking distance.  We like to refill the empty tank sooner, rather than later to avoid running out which just happened.

Fernandina Beach Municipal Marina dock and town under less windy conditions

We confirmed the diver still was scheduled for the afternoon, we would have a slip at the dock for the night and that Enterprise would have a car available (our 'compact' car turned out to be a over sized SUV!).  We just needed to wait for the current to go slack.  Leonard checked anchor prices on line and after getting sticker shock, was more than willing to wait  (we have our old 35# CQR along with 60' of fairly new chain we really don't want to lose - although we do have GPS coordinates for the location if we had to drop it). 

Around 1000, the diver called to say he was sending someone within the hour -great news for us -  although the current was running, the wind was under 10kts and we assumed they'd factored in the current flow.  Given the log wasn't ticking over in the current implied the impeller was clogged again, so we couldn't verify how strong it was.  We'd have another chance to see if the stopper valve will pop into place when the knotmeter is removed for cleaning.

Spring tide high water - only the top of grass showing - an 8+ 'swing compared to an average of 6'

I decided the best thing to do while waiting was a bit of cleaning.  While I'd  need to wait for shore power to use the vacuum, which hasn't seen use since Nassau (our inverter isn't big enough to run it), most surfaces needed dusting and cleaning, so there was plenty to be done.  We'd run the engine just enough while trying to pull the anchor to have warm water to defrost the freezer, another one of those pesky chores that needs to be done more frequently in warm, humid climates.  Leonard dug out another anchor in case we'd need to free up the CQR for the diver, and he's been waiting for the Link 10 to act up so he can take it apart, but it's decided to work!  Whatever, it's a beautiful day - sunny, getting into the 70's and the wind is light.  Another sunny day in paradise (well almost paradise), what more could we ask?  (Some mobility?)

Eventually the diver arrived.  Leonard had gone ashore to wait for him, and was coming to to pick me up to get the car when the diver called that he'd arrived (I had the phone and Leonard had the hand-held VHF to communicate with me), so I set him back to pick him up.  It was a bit before noon when they arrived, the diver looking a bit green - he got seasick on the dinghy ride out to the boat.  It seemed a bit strange to me that a dinghy ride, in fairly smooth conditions, would make anyone seasick, especially if they worked on the water.

Getting ready to dive

That was the first problem, he had problems getting his tank on while in the dinghy.  While we were happy to have the job done earlier, rather later, we wondered why the diver chose to do the job at close to peak current - with the new moon, it runs 2+kts, more than enough to complicate the job, and it did.  Even with flippers and diving gear, he had trouble swimming into the current and was surprised at how strong it was.  Leonard got a line to help keep him in position, and he went down to look.  We'd found a large abandoned anchor, and our chain had wrapped around it in the current switch, giving new meaning to setting 2 anchors.  He tried to lift the 'spare' anchor, and couldn't budge it, but was able to unwrap our chain.  It worked, with the diver on the scoop, we pulled anchor and went into the dock (he wasn't anxious to get in the dinghy again).

We had a couple of unanswered questions, first of which was - why try it when the current was at max?  We were interested in what type of anchor and what part we'd hooked. Once we were on the dock, Chris, the diver, disappeared.  It looked like he had another diving job at the dock.   Perhaps he learned a valuable lesson - to respect what the current can do, and work with, not against it.  Our lesson was  hindsight - it would have been cheaper (and less stressful) to have spent 2 nights on the dock.  What happened was a fluke, and probably difficult to repeat, not that we'd chose those coordinates to anchor again!

The marina guys deal with the current all the time, and advise how to approach the dock when it's running.  Not knowing where we'd be put for the night, we went to the fuel dock and took on fuel (20.3 gal since Marsh Harbor) and did a pumpout  We lucked out, and were put on the dock with the charter fishing fleet, and closer to the heads than if we were inside on the long transient dock just after 1300.

Once we got a car, we set about getting the errands done.  After they were accomplished, Antares got a much needed washing and cleaning, and looked much better without the salt that had been accumulating. By the time we were finished, it was almost 2000, we were tired and hungry, and walked into town for dinner. The laundry would wait until morning. 

Lynnea

Heading up the ICW

5/3/16    To 30 03.030N,    81 21.915W    Pine Island Anchorage    63.9NM

We've become accustomed to waking up by 0630 to catch Chris Parker's weather forecast, so it was no surprise we were awake bright and early Tuesday morning.  With information available on line, we didn't need to wait until he did the forecast for heading up the E coast, usually after 0715, we just got under way, following 3 sail boats that were buddy boating that had left about 15 minutes ahead of us.  With a dicey weather forecast (thunderstorms, rain and a cold front), we weren't sure how far we'd get before the weather deteriorated, but our plan was to get as far N as possible before we'd need to hunker down and let the weather blow past. 

Of the 3 65' bridges on this stretch of the ICW, this one had the most clearance, the others read 62'

Maybe it's easier heading N, or maybe it's pure luck, but we had the current pushing us faster and further than anticipated.  We had absolutely no complaints, and were delighted to be fighting neither wind nor current.  We figured we'd easily make St. Augustine, and wondered how far the other boats planned to travel, and if we'd need to shoehorn into an anchorage with a crowd again (not ideal if the weather really get's bad).  Thanks to the boost, the log readings on the knot meter have been lower than the actual track number traveled as shown on the plotter the last few days.

A pair of swallow tailed kites over the ICW

When I checked the timing for the various bridges for the day, I noted that the 'Bridge of Lion' at St. Augustine opened every 1/2 hour except for 0800, 1200 and 1700.  When we checked ETA on the chart plotter, we'd arrive between 1600 and 1700, plenty of daylight to keep going if the weather held, providing we made the 1630 bridge opening. We might make it given our current speed, but we knew the current would switch at some point, just not where or how strong it would flow against us. By mid day, it became obvious that we'd need to push our horses a bit harder (2800 rpm-up 300 from our normal cruise setting) and longer if we didn't want to just miss the 1630 bridge opening (we don't mark every turn when we create routes which translates into slightly inaccurate ETAs due to the twists and turns of the channels) .  The result was burning a higher rate of fuel for a bit more speed since fuel economy drops in proportion to RPMs, we normally try to avoid running over 2500.  We used about as much fuel in a single day as we had since leaving Marsh Harbor.  We even ran out the jib to get a boost from the wind when possible, which can be tricky when negotiating the twisty, narrow channels and shoals.

There were shoals,  The Matanzas Inlet can be difficult at high tide, and we were approaching low and dropping.  Leonard has a knack for finding deep  water (or at least enough to float us), and we slipped over the shoals without 'feeling our way' over the bottom, with the lowest reading just under 7'.  We listened as the lead boat of the group ahead called out depths and gave advice to the others over the VHF- they made it through, but at least 1 reported having touched in a couple of spots (we didn't know how much they drew). 

We approached the bridge with 6 minutes to spare, and watched as the other boats headed into the mooring field at the municipal marina to pick up moorings for the night.  We called to see if there was a mooring N of the bridge, but were told none available would have 5' at low water, so we kept going, which was fine with us since we hadn't planned on stopping there.  In spite of the forecast, much of the day the air felt relatively dry and radar didn't indicate any cells building or threatening us - a much better day than predicted.  However, once they started forming, the clouds filled in quickly, and it rained hard several times, giving us a couple of welcome fresh water rinses as we continued N.

Looking N from the oxbow at Pine Island

By 1830, we'd set the anchor just off the ICW at the S end of the Pine Island oxbow, joining a couple of trawlers.  We had a very quiet night, which wasn't necessarily the case elsewhere as a thunderstorm watch was posted, affecting areas either side of us.  It appeared the storms, where they hit, were slow moving, and some locations were drenched with several inches of rain during the night, while we had none.

Pine Island anchorage

5/4/16   To  30 40.393N,    81 21.186W    Fernandina Beach Anchorage    40.1NM

Checking the radar in the morning, most of the nasty weather was already S of us.  We suspect the folks who stopped at St.Augustine were sure they made the right choice to sit for 2 days to wait out the weather.  And according to the radar, they did have nasty weather.  We were glad we weren't on a mooring with the ball scratching the hull as the tide changed in the thunderstorms.  It was amazing to see how different the weather was in a relatively small area.  Both St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach  were hit with slow moving cells overnight.

Hauling anchor with a winch handle is a lot of work

We decided to get going before the weather had a chance to deteriorate.  It was easy motoring with the current pushing us toward the St. John's River, and other than a brief shower, we saw little evidence of a cold front passing through the area.  The radar showed slow moving storms continuing across the state S of us (yes, it appeared to be stormy in St. Augustine).  After a very brief shower, the remainder of our day was mostly cloudy, but dry. 

Our ETA for Fernandina Beach  was 1400, depending on the current.  The current was running out the St.John's River at a good clip, and we watched a trawler ahead of us crab past the entrance to Sisters Creek, the junction with the ICW.  It appeared they'd missed junction (easy to do), as they turned around and arrived at the Sister's Creek lift bridge (now in the process of being replaced by a hi-rise bridge) just ahead of us.

Container ship heading out the St. John's River by the ICW

As we approach a new moon Friday, we're dealing with spring tides - the the low at mid day was -0.5', hardly ideal for skirting the numerous shoals N of the St.John's River on the ICW on a falling tide just shy of low.  We checked information on Active Captain, but the shoal reviews were written for heading S,  backward from our perspective, and it's harder to work backward through the various instructions as to which side of the channel to favor than you'd think. As the one captain wrote, this whole section would be much easier if it were properly buoyed.  We spent some time just over idle speed (or enough to keep steerage) as we threaded through the shoals without finding the bottom.  Not so a large ketch that had managed to find one by the infamous C1 turn, just S of Fernandina Beach - he was hard aground with an anchor set in deeper water waiting for the tide to rise.  He did manage to get off at high tide.

Aground by the 'C1' turn

Low tide on the Amelia River - at high tide the water extends to and covers some of the marsh grass

Cell phone radar showing the front line Thursday mid afternoon- we're at the red dot

With no dock space available at Tiger Point, we anchored off the municipal moorings for the night.  In the morning, we planned to move to the city dock for a night since we reserved a car to run errands.  Taking advantage of the light winds in the afternoon, we launched the dinghy and went ashore for some exercise, walking over to do a loop on the Egan's Creek Greenway, and watching a bit of baseball in the park before a dinner out. 

A variegated Fritillary on Egan's Creek Greenway

Leonard is anticipating riding with the Silver Spokes (his 3 speed doesn't have flower boxes)

Sun going down behind Antares at Fernandina Beach

5/5/16        Fernandina Beach Anchorage  

Thursday morning around 0800, anticipating tricky docking in the 20+kt W wind, we called the marina to advise them of our arrival and get docking instructions.  We were told the sooner we arrived, the better, as the last of the current would help us onto the dock.  Great, we'd have the whole day to get chores done!  However, while taking up the anchor, we stopped short before the chain got to the windlass, not a good sign 60' of chain still needed to be retrieved - we were snagged on something.  We tried all the usual maneuvers that have gotten us out of similar situations in the past (there's been several over the decades), but they didn't work - the line got tight enough that it took work to free it from the windlass.  I called the marina and got the name of a diver (would you believe there's only 1 on the island, the others are in Jacksonville?) and told the dock guy we'd be delayed.  He was very sympathetic and helpful (he's been there for years).

The diver wasn't available until Friday, and said it would be easier at slack low water (currents are very strong here) which won't be until 1500, and by then hopefully the wind will not be blowing as hard.  So here we sit, waiting - something cruisers practice regularly - with the wind howling out of the W into the low 30's, not worried about dragging or running down the batteries.  With a somewhat limited fetch, the water's not too choppy, so other than being stuck, it's not all that bad.  We may try again at slack low water to see if we can extricate ourselves.  With the dock space and car both cancelled, the long list of chores will wait for another day.  If we get cabin fever, we can dinghy ashore, but would have a very wet ride back to the boat!

The situation prompted Leonard to dig out the windlass information and order replacement gears to be shipped to Charleston.  However, in the current situation, not even a working power windlass would solve the problem.  Where is Pierre when we need him??

Lynnea