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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Snags and dead heads from the canal piled on the bank |
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| 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.
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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.
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| 'America', out of Sag Harbor, a beautiful 72' wooden vessel
built in 1965 that pasted us on the Alligator River |
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| 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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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
