Month: May 2020

To cross the Albermarle Sound, it is quite important to pay attention to the weather. This body of water literally stretches hundreds of miles and is one of the longest estuaries in the state, leading, eventually, into a number of rivers, specifically the Roanoke and Chowan Rivers, both of which extend all the way into the state of Virginia. This gives the wind plenty of opportunity to create large waves and hazardous conditions. According to the weather forecasts we were seeing, the wind looked mild earlier in the morning and was expected to increase through the day. With this information, we decided to leave as early as possible. We were on our way by 6:30am and heading out to the open waters. We had to go out the channel which we entered and then turn north. As we approached the channel markers to make our turn the depth finder kept getting lower and lower. I was following our path that we brought in, but the tides were different now. I was trying to find deeper water, going from one side of the channel to the other, then we bottomed out. “Fu$k!”. We were now ‘run aground’ (once again) in the middle of the channel! Lauren and I looked at each other and I didn’t know what to say. I kept showing her we were in the middle of the ‘marked’ channel, but that didn’t really matter now. What mattered is what were we going to do? Call SeaTow? We had to get going soon, before this tropical storm gets here! I was pissed, but thought my best bet- aside from waiting for the tide to rise in a couple of hours, or calling SeaTow, was to try to get off of it myself. I kept throttling in reverse, trying to get off of the sandbar. That wasn’t working, so I tried forward. That didn’t really work either. At this point I told Lauren to go ahead and call SeaTow, but I kept trying. Soon I could sense we were inching around; not forward or backwards, but we were moving… I continued trying both forward and reverse and soon we were actually spinning in place. WTF!? I continued this and we were soon moving backwards- enough that I thought we were going to be free. At this point we had been stuck for about thirty minutes or so. I kept at it and eventually got us un-stuck enough that we were now floating free, but I was still behind the sandbar that we were just stuck on. Stop the SeaTow call! Fu$k it- I’m going ahead and full throttle on the other side of the channel where we were stuck. We held our breath and made our way past the low point, with the depth finder showing zero below us, and we made it past that point. We turned port out of the channel and saw the depths rise to a ‘comfortable’ six feet. We eventually passed Nags Head and Kitty Hawk on our way out. We turned northwest and were cruising around seven knots. The wind was minimal on our journey across the sound and we made it to Elizabeth City in about six hours. As we got close to the town, we fell in behind another boat that appeared to be heading in the same direction. I called them on the radio to let them know we were behind them and to inquire of their destination. They told me they were trying to get into the Dismal Swamp today. I’ll explain the ‘swamp’ later… We were going to be stopping at one of the free dock at Elizabeth City that we saw on the charts. As we got closer, we could see the free city docks were in poor repair. Our second option was a free bulkhead along side of a food distribution company- Jennette Brothers. This is also listed on our charts, but it is immediately after a draw bridge, so we couldn’t tell if there was room or not. I called the bridge tender and told him our intentions, because if we couldn’t dock there, we would have to come back through the bridge. The bridge tender told me there was room, and we waited with the other boat while the bridge lifted. As soon as we got through we could see a few other boats docked along the wall- two with Looper flags- with just enough room for us at the end, closest to the bridge. I told Lauren my plan to come in and dock on the port side, which would mean turning 180 degrees right in front of the bridge, with not too much room to spare. We executed the turn and got tied up without incident. The other boat that came through with us continued on. As we were finishing securing the boat, one of the other boats tied up along the wall pulled out and headed upriver with the one I was following. I wish I would have known he was leaving because I would have waited and taken that spot! Oh well. Soon, one of the other Looper boat captain came out and welcomed us, telling us he tried to call us to let us know there was room here for us. Apparently he was watching Nebo and saw us coming- he looked up our info on the Great Loop website and called Lauren’s phone, but she didn’t answer as we were coming up to the bridge and was occupied with our conversation of what/where/how. It is nice to know people are still looking out for each other! The dock was fine, easy access to grass, but we were actually locked in to the grounds. Since we were in a private trucking company and it was a Sunday, the gates were locked. We hung out on the boat for a while, then decided to take the dinghy over to the city docks where we could dock and walk around the town. We took Frank and explored the small city. There wasn’t anything open, and the town was small. The area we were in had a couple of restaurants (all closed) and a brewery (closed sun/mon) so we returned to the boat after about an hour and half. The weather was expected to deteriorate more and rain was coming, so we battened down the hatches and hung out. Tomorrow is expected to rain most of the day, so we knew we were staying here another night. At least we were secure and since we were close to the bridge we had a barrier from the wind too.

Day 2- It did rain most of the day. I checked in at the office and got a list of rules: no dogs was one of them. Oops! We stayed tucked inside dry, and I took Frank out for another walk after they closed the office at 5pm. We ordered some takeout from a local restaurant Hoppin’ Johnz and enjoyed some shrimp and grits. We made our plans for tomorrow’s journey through the Dismal Swamp. I checked with the other boats and they are planning doing the same…

We did depart around 6:30am and followed Oceana out to the Pamlico Sound. I was communicating with them on the radio and we were going about the same speed. They veered off a bit and put the sails up and I kept on the course I had plotted. We stayed about a mile or two from each other, and the trip was long and boring. Lauren made lunch and relieved me a couple of times so I could get up an stretch my legs. After about seven hours we were entering the Old House Channel, which is a narrow channel that takes us to Manteo. There are several shoaling hazards listed such as this: “There is an area of about 5 feet MLW mid channel between R10 and R12. Deep draft boats might need tide help here.” and the channel is almost fifteen miles long to get to the Manteo turn off! We were following Oceana in, and this is their home port, so I felt okay with them in the lead, even though they have a more shallow draft than us. We finally made it to the turn off to Manteo after another hour and half. I dropped back a bit to let them go in first. We had looked at the charts and saw the town has a free dock available, as well as an anchorage just off the free dock. As Oceana approached, they went into the marina next door and pulled into a dock. It was a bit windy, so it looked like they were having a little trouble getting situated. In the mean time, I was coming in to the free dock on the other side of the marina. As we were approaching, the dock master from the marina came running over and called to me on the radio to tell me we could not dock here, nor could we anchor here, as the town was ‘closed’ until Saturday! Lauren and I looked at each other and thought “WTF!?” Now we are here and have no where to go. I aborted our maneuver and went back out to the narrow, shallow channel and just floated there in neutral. Lauren came upstairs and we talked about our next option. The dock master said we could go back seven miles or so and anchor there, but that didn’t sound good to us, so we pulled up the charts on our phones and called the next closest marina which was Shallowbag Bay Marina. The dock master answered the phone and I asked if they are taking transients? He responded with a “yes”, to which we were relieved to hear. The next question was “is there space for us?”. He asked the normal questions: how long, draft, etc. then he asked “when are you coming?” I explained how we had just been denied from the Manteo Waterfront and we were in the bay as we speak. He told me he was not on the property at the moment, but give him twenty minutes and he would meet us there. This was great to hear! We hung up with him and the radio came to life: “Klondike, Klondike- this is Oceana, come in.” I responded and we switched channels (channel 16 is only used for hailing and distress, so conversations are hel d on other channels) “What the heck!?- I’m so sorry, we didn’t know they would do that!” Oceana explained- “you could anchor there if you want- he doesn’t have authority over the anchorage!” I responded with the news of already securing a slip at Shallowbag Marina and thanking them for the concern. We were pretty sure they weren’t aware of the situation or they wouldn’t have suggested it to us, and I thought of anchoring there anyway, but I didn’t want to push it. “The town opens on Saturday, so you could come back if you want” Oceana informed us. I again thanked them for the information and we signed off. We were now making our way slowly toward the marina, waiting for the call to tell us we could enter and where to dock. Soon the phone rang and the dock master told us we could enter and they would show us to the dock and have a dock hand ready to assist with the lines. We made our way in and docked without incident. Once we were tied up, I made my way to the office to check in. The rates weren’t too bad, about $1.75/foot. The location of the marina was pretty good too, to the grocery store as well as an Autozone, where I could get supplies I needed, as it was time to do an oil change and I wanted to replace some fuel filters too. Lauren took Frank for a walk while I tidied up the boat and reported back there were a couple of restaurants close by which we might want to try. After finishing our tasks, we ordered a pizza from a local joint across the street. I picked it up and we relaxed, ate some pizza and retired early after our long day.

Day 2- I walked to the Autozone with our cart to pick up the filters and oil I would be needing. Unfortunately they did not have everything in stock, so I ended up buying the oil and four of the eight filters, with them having the other four for me tomorrow morning. I returned and did the oil change and replaced the fuel filters I did have. I also went to work on the hull, using the product I bought in Oriental. It did an amazing job of removing the rust stains on the white hull! I used the dinghy to work all the way around the boat and it looks so much better. Lauren and I then took the cart to the grocery store and the Dollar General and re-supplied. Once back at the boat, some more minor work was done, including me going up a ladder I borrowed, propped against the mast and the shroud with Lauren holding it for support. probably not the best idea, but it worked. I had noticed our anchor light was not working, so I figured I would just need to change the bulb. The switch was pretty easy, but then I checked it and it still wasn’t working. Hmmm… I checked the fuse and it was fine. I changed that too, just to be sure. It still isn’t working- I’ll have to think about this… Later I was chatting with our boat neighbor, and he told me about the soft shell crabs at the restaurant next to the marina. We felt like we had to try them, so we ordered some takeout. They were delicious- we’ve had soft shell crabs before and thought they were okay, but I have never been a huge fan. These were the best I’ve had for sure. The crab was an appetizer, so we made dinner. Afterward, we cleaned up from the long day and called it a night.

Day 3- I received a call around 8:30am that my filters were in and ready to be picked up. I walked up to the store and brought my old oil to dispose of. Once that was done I returned and started to get ready for departure. I filled the water tanks and we left our dock and headed over to the city dock we had been turned away from a couple of days earlier. As we made our way over the sun was shining and it was clearly going to be a beautiful day. I told Lauren the plan to dock on our port side, so we would be facing out when we leave. As we approached, I could see some other smaller boats docked, but there was plenty of space for us on the end. We executed the maneuver and docked with some assistance of another boater. I do appreciate the help sometimes, but sometimes the ‘help’ is a hinderance. In this case I was working against wind and tide, so I needed to push the bow out so I could get the stern around, but the guy kept pulling the bow in. I finally got close enough I could jump to the dock and muscle the stern in while telling him to let out the bow! It’s all good. Once we were secured, settled and the dog walked we took off on the bikes to explore. One of our first stops was at Poor Richards Sandwich Shop for a bite to eat. We got a sandwich for take out and sat outside at a picnic table to eat. The town was buzzing with people as today was a beautiful Saturday and the first day outsiders were allowed in to town. Apparently they had shut down the only bridges to the island during the COVID lockdown. After consuming our sandwich, we continued on. Our next stop was our first distillery we could stop at in months! We stopped at Kill Devil Rum / Outer Banks Distilling and picked up a bottle of rum. They were only open for retail sales, so after the guy suggested their homemade Painkiller mix. Sold! We cruised back to the boat to have a quick cocktail with our purchase, then took off again in search of the ‘Mother Vine’. The mother vine is “estimated to be 400 years old, the Mother Vine, located on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island, is believed to be the oldest grape vine in all of North America, planted by either Croatan Native Americans or settlers of the Lost Colony. Some have posited that it is the “mother” of all vines for scuppernong grapes, North Carolina’s state fruit.” The vine is actually on private property: “When Jack and Estelle Wilson bought the property housing the Mother Vine in 1957, its tangled branches occupied two acres. After they trimmed it to make room for a house, the Vine still occupies a third of their front yard in Manteo, stretching 30 feet by 120 feet. To make up for their extensive initial cutback, the couple have become its keepers. Not only do the octogenarian couple invite visitors to park and view the sprawling web, they have allowed their neighbors to pick and eat its grapes for years. In 2005, they permitted a local winery to plant clippings from the original vine in their vineyard and make Mother Vine Wine, a sweet, mildly acidic wine.” After taking some pictures and looking up the history, we continued on a bike path toward the Elizabethan Gardens and the Lost Colony. The garden were closed, but we could still bike around the paths and through the park. The ‘Lost Colony’, which has a theater on the grounds of where there has been excavation and in the park, where in 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World. Just three years later in 1590, when English ships returned to bring supplies, they found the island deserted with no sign of the colonists. After nearly 450 years, the mystery of what happened to the colonists remains unsolved. After spending some time with the park almost to ourselves, we decided to head back to the boat. We still had one more stop to make- we had to find a bottle of Scuppernong wine so we could try it. We found a winery in town and picked up a bottle. Since we had the rum and open Painkiller mix, we decided to wait on drinking the wine and use the open products first. Dinner was made and we decided on our next stop: Elizabeth City, which is about forty miles across the Albermarle Sound, and our last stop before we enter the Great Dismal Swamp. The reason we are skipping the rest of the Outer Banks is we have been watching the first named storm of hurricane season happen: sub-tropical storm Arthur. It is forecast to hit the Outer Banks in a couple of days, so we want to get out of the way. This storm is coming a bit early for the hurricane season, which technically starts on June 1. That being said, we will head more inland just to be safe….

We did decide to forgo Belhaven and we headed for The Outer Banks. This took us across the Pamlico Sound, past the Ocracoke Inlet to Silver Lake. “The Ocracoke Harbor is basically a clam-shaped basin or lagoon of water on the soundside of the island. The water within the village is named “Silver Lake” and while the island extends for a good mile or so towards the Ocracoke Inlet, Ocracoke Harbor is essentially an easy run from Portsmouth Island, Hatteras Island, and the fantastic offshore fishing in the Gulf Stream. Ocracoke Inlet was one of Blackbeard’s hideouts, and it was here that two small sloops hired by Virginia governor Alexander Spotswood found and cornered Blackbeard on the inner side of the island. Blackbeard was killed in the battle that ensued Nov. 22, 1718. His headless body is believed to be buried in a mass grave somewhere on the island”. The only way to access this island is by boat or small plane. We found our way in to the harbor after our forty mile, six hour journey to find a couple of other boats anchored in the bay. We slowly passed the first sailboat and I asked how much line they had out? He responded “about seventy five feet”. As soon as we passed the radio came alive and the boat we had just passed and spoken to, the dad was now on the radio telling me his son was wrong about the scope and they had closer to a hundred feet out. Got it. We passed the second boat and circled around and dropped anchor behind him. We let out around a hundred feet on line and made sure we were secure. Anchor beer time for me!

*Speaking of anchoring, I want to add a story I forgot about back at Thoroughfare Creek: We had just dropped anchor and I was settling in on the back deck when I heard Lauren calling for me quite excitedly! I came up to the cabin and she told me a bird had just flown in! I looked inside and saw it flying around into the windows. It soon came to rest along a window sill so I just reached out and gently grabbed it, making sure to hold the wings closed, and released it outside where it flew off into the day. That was exciting! We made sure to have the screen doors on the rest of our time there…

Back to Ocracoke: Once we felt we were secure, it was time to get Frank to shore. We dinghied over to the State Park dinghy dock and unloaded. We walked around the small beach, then up the main road through town. Almost everything was still closed due to the virus and there was a lot of construction going on from last years Hurricane Dorian. Here is a news article:“When Hurricane Dorian barreled toward the Outer Banks last November, little Ocracoke Island took the main hit. The storm moved quickly, but it left the island ravaged from waters that rose like a tidal wave in merely two hours. In a 7-foot storm surge, waters from the Pamlico Sound spilled over the village, flooding homes, destroying businesses and altering every life of the island’s several hundred locals. Floodwaters in the village reached the greatest depths since a 1944 storm. Thankfully, no one lost their lives in the hurricane, but many lost their livelihoods. Nearly every car on the island flooded as did plenty of the village’s restaurants, shops and hotels. The island’s older homes and cottages – which tend to sit closer to the ground – faced the worst flooding. As water levels rose, some people were airlifted from their homes; others sought rescue from boats motoring up the canal-like streets”. So there wasn’t much going on… we returned to Klondike for the evening, made dinner and retired for the night.

Day 2: After taking Frank for his morning walk, we loaded the bikes in the dinghy and took them to shore. We rode to the lighthouse: “Ocracoke Light is the oldest operating light station in North Carolina and the second oldest lighthouse still standing in the state.” After checking that out, we continued on to find the beach. We found it, and it was awesome. You are allowed to drive on the beaches, so as soon as we entered we saw cars lined up and down the beach. There weren’t a lot of them, but it was cool to see. There was a Jeep pulled right up to the water with a fishing pole in the grill! We walked the beach and I went in for a swim, just because. We then made our way back toward town, stopping at a small grocery store to pick up some refreshments. We continued on, making a couple of detours around some back streets to see some more shuttered shops, then finally went back to the dinghy. We loaded the bikes up and returned back to the boat.

I took Frank back for another midday walk and met the people on one of the other boats anchored with us- Oceana. I stopped to chat on my way by them and was telling them our plans of going to Hatteras tomorrow, but the wife said we should skip that and go directly to Manteo on Roanoke Island. I inquired why, and she said it is “much better, and there not a lot going on in Hatteras”. After walking Frank I returned and told Lauren about our conversation about Hatteras and Manteo. Lauren got right on it and looked them up. After awhile, Lauren said it would probably be good to go to Manteo. Later as I was passing by Oceana for our evening walk, I stoped to ask when they planned on leaving and told them we would be following along. They were pleased to hear this and we made plans to leave at first light-after walking the dogs- as it will be a long sixty mile trip. Dinner was made and we retired early, knowing we will be waking up around 5:15am…

We departed Beaufort about 9:30am and made it to Oriental around 12:30pm. We weren’t sure where exactly the free docks were, or even if there were any available as they are on a first arrival basis. If they were occupied by other boats, we would have to resort to a backup plan. We crossed the Neuse River and entered the harbor. We could see two boats occupying the one set of free docks, and the other set were behind a large fishing boat, so we couldn’t tell until we got past that. As we eased past the fishing boat, we saw the other docks were open. I turned into the outside slip and we tied off. I went about adjusting the bumpers and lines, then sat down for a beer while Lauren took Frank for a walk.

Once we were settled, we took the bikes off so we could go for a ride. Just as we were about to leave, a large, old wooden sailboat came around the corner of the shrimp boat and was pulling into the dock next to us. The sailboat had a long bowsprit with netting, and cannons on the bow! I offered assistance to grab a line, but he said he was good. We left and biked over to a little store called Inland Waterway Provision Co. where I picked up some boat supplies and found a bottle of stuff that says will eliminate rust stains. I bought this to try in hopes of cleaning the rust stains that have developed on Klondike due to the salt water. We continued on to a Dollar General and Piggly Wiggly for some groceries and snacks, then returned back to the boat to put everything away. Once done with the reprovisions, we relaxed a bit on the back deck before we took the bikes once again to tour the town. We spoke to our new sailboat neighbor, Martin, who was from the Netherlands. He said he salvaged the cannons in the Caribbean and was on his way back home across the Atlantic Ocean! After our chat (which was hard to understand with his accent) we went exploring again. Oriental has a bunch of dragons painted on rocks throughout the town, and a large meditation labyrinth by the water. We returned to the boat once again and took Frank for another walk as the sun set. We ate dinner and debated our next destination- we originally had planned to stay on the ICW and go to Belhaven, but now we think we want to veer off to the route less traveled and see the Outer Banks, with Ocracoke being our first stop there…

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Before departure we filled our water tanks and walked Frank. We were only going about twenty five miles today so we didn’t need to leave too early. We followed the ICW and made our way to Beaufort. Upon researching the town, I saw there was an anchorage right across from the town with access to a dinghy dock. When we arrived we found the anchorage was again already filled with boats. There was a catamaran behind us, so I called to him on the radio to tell him our intentions of finding a place to anchor. He had the same idea. Since he was smaller, he would probably find a place easier than we could. As we were circling around, we noticed a large sailboat trying to retrieve their anchor, but it had a pipe of sorts wrapped around it, so they were having trouble. That didn’t make me feel too good about anchoring there. We tried to find a spot, but the water got shallow and the channel got narrow, so we decided to find somewhere else. Around the corner of land was another anchorage listed on the chart, so we went there. There were two marinas back there, and we anchored just off the channel and in front of a bridge. I had my anchor beer while ensuring we were secure and I had put out a lot of line. Once we felt good, we loaded into the dinghy and took the long-ish ride back to the dinghy dock to walk around town. “Established in 1709 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the third-oldest town in North Carolina. In 2012, Beaufort was ranked as “America’s Coolest Small Town” by readers of Budget Travel Magazine. Visit pirate hideouts, skulk around the town Blackbeard called home, see where his sunken ship is submerged and see where he met his violent end.“ The town was just opening from the lockdown and since it was a Saturday, there were lots of people out and about. We kept our distance and walked Frank around, checking out the old cemetery and houses around town. On our way back on the dinghy we deviated to an island across the way that is part of the Rachel Carson Coastal Estuarine Reserve. We walked around looking for the wild horses that live on the island, which we saw one while looking for a place to anchor. We did not see one this time however, so we went back to the boat and spent the rest of the night comfortably at anchor.

Day 2- Today was Sunday, Mother’s Day. We have been having regular Zoom calls on Sundays with family and friends. We decided to go to town and get lunch (pizza) and take it to the island Reserve. We ordered online and picked up our pie, then took the dinghy over to the Reserve. We ate the pizza and had our calls, then went hiking to find the elusive horses. Lauren even brought an apple to share if we found one! We hiked for a while and finally tracked one down. I was able to get close for a picture, but it wanted nothing to do with me or the apple. I tried tossing a piece to him (or her) and it ran. I followed it and tried to entice it again…it started to come toward me which now made me nervous… I dropped the apple and headed back to Lauren who was holding Franks leash. He really wanted to go see the horse, but we didn’t think that would turn out too well. We hiked our way back to the dinghy and finally back to the boat. Dinner was made and we did our routine of looking at our next destination and weather forecast. Tomorrow we are going to go to Oriental, North Carolina…

After our exciting night last night, we got going early. Today we were going to travel almost fifty miles. We left by 7am and arrived around 3pm. When we were pulling out of Wrightsville Beach, we had to wait for a draw bridge which only opens on the hour and half hour. As we were getting close to the bridge I noticed a couple of other boats waiting. One was Positive Vibration which is the boat that anchored with us in Thoroughfare Creek, and the other I had never seen before called Serendipity. I called to them on the radio and let them know I was going to be going through the bridge with them. Serendipity told me to go second as they travel at a slower pace. We all circled around until the bridge opened and then proceeded on our way. The rest of the trip was uneventful, with Serendipity stopping about half way to anchor at a spot we wanted to stop at, but it is surrounded by a military base, so there was no shore access for Frank. We continued on to our destination.

On the way to Swansboro, I called and made a reservation at the town dock. The forecast was for some higher winds, and after yesterday’s experience, I wanted to be tied securely to a dock if the winds were going to pick up. Positive Vibration has beat us there and was tied up when we arrived. They assisted us with the lines as we were fighting a strong current while pulling in. This was the first time I actually got to meet them and introduce ourselves. I thanked them for the assistance, secured the boat and adjusted bumpers before settling in to relax. We took Frank for a walk around town and ran across some Muscovy Ducks and some chicks- these are strange looking ducks!

Swansboro is known as “the “Friendly City by the Sea,” is a quaint, historic town located on the North Carolina Coast boarding both the IntraCoastal Waterway and the White Oak River. With water, water, water all around (and the Atlantic Ocean mere minutes away,) it’s safe to assume that water sports are the number one activity in the area…and there are plenty to pick from!” We returned to the boat to relax and figure out our dinner options. Almost all of the small town was still closed due to the virus, but there were a couple of restaurants open for take out. We decided to try The Boro Restaurant and got some shrimp and grits which had a watermelon salsa. OMG. It was so good!

Day 2- The weather was rainy and windy, so we just hung out in the boat. The rain eventually stopped and we walked to Clyde Phillips Seafood Market and picked up some fresh seafood: Shrimp, crab and dip. It was very windy all day, so we walked around a bit and retreated back to the boat. We had to run the generator to make dinner as the docks did not have power, but we had a great meal. I spoke to the couple on Positive Vibration and they were planning on leaving tomorrow too. Our next planned stop is Beaufort, NC…

We awoke to rain and wind. It was early, so we looked at the forecast and it looked like it would pass by quickly, but it had strong wind. I was watching out the window as a big gust came up and started blowing the anchored sailboat across the harbor. I watched them quickly get the boat started and push back against the wind. They did quite well recovering, and they dropped the anchor again once the wind had slowed down. Since it had stopped raining now, we decided it was time to get ready to depart. I asked Lauren’s opinion about what we should do due to the fact that she is always right and she said we should leave. I don’t know where I would be without her probably floating around lost. After walking Frank and getting prepared, we left the dock around 10:45am.

The trip took us a little over four hours. We came to the anchorage and saw there were several boats already anchored. We circled around a bit, then found a spot we felt comfortably far enough from the other boats and with enough depth for us. We dropped anchor and let out enough line so we could swing, but not get too close to the others. After making sure all was secure, we took Frank for a walk around town. We walked around the beach, and through parts of town close to the docks. We made our way back to the boat and had a Zoom meeting with some friends. I was getting hungry and since it was Cinco de Mayo, I ordered some food from the local Mexican restaurant called Tower 7 Baja Mexican Grill. I went and picked it up and we feasted!

Day 2- We had nice weather in the afternoon, allowing us to spend some time biking around. Before we left though, we noticed the boat that was behind us had now swung fairly close to us now that the wind had shifted. We were maybe thirty feet from them, but we were a hundred and fifty feet away yesterday. Hmmm… we waited to see if they noticed or were going to move? The rules for anchoring are this: first one anchored decides how much scope to put out. Everyone else should do roughly the same, or make sure you are out of the ‘swing zone’ so you don’t collide. Third rule is if you do not like it- move. Since they were there first, I had no expectations of them moving. I felt we were far enough away we wouldn’t collide, so that was fine. I didn’t want to move and didn’t see any weather issues, so we decided to take the bikes to shore. We rode all over the small town and hung out on the beach a bit. We brought the bikes back to the boat and relaxed. I was able to talk to the neighboring boat and he told me he had a hundred and fifty feet of line out. We had about seventy five feet out, which is why he was close when we all shifted. He said he brought twenty five feet of line in to give us some room. We thought all would be good for the night… We were looking at the weather and planning our next destination. It was looking like it would be an okay travel day to get to Swansboro, North Carolina as the forecast for tonight and tomorrow was fair. We made dinner and I was sitting on the back deck, just finishing eating when I noticed the wind start to pick up. No sooner had I set my bowl down when the wind really started blowing hard- very hard. I was standing there looking around and the wind just kept getting stronger and stronger. Now I was getting worried and started around to go toward the front to check on our anchor gear when Lauren popped her head out the door and asked “are we dragging?!”. The wind was now howling and not letting up; the boats were all swinging about and as soon as I looked back I could see we were indeed dragging toward the docks. The wind was now close to thirty miles an hour and gusting even harder! Holy shit- where did this come from?! The only thing I could do at this moment was to run up and try to let out more anchor line. I let out about twenty feet and ran back to Lauren. “We need to start the engine NOW and go!” I exclaimed. I ran down and turned on the breakers, came back up and turned the key- the engine roared to life and I looked out the door to see us moving closer to the docks again. F@CK! I threw the boat into gear and just tried to drive forward, ripping the window covers down so I could see. We were now moving forward against the wind, but the anchor and line were still down in the water! I had Lauren take over the helm while I went to the bow, battling against the wind to get the lines ready for retrieval. Lauren expertly was keeping the boat somewhat stationary while working the windlass. I was guiding the line in and trying to direct her in the direction of the anchor, all the while making sure we were not going to hit any other boats. Now we had the anchor up but the wind was still howling and it was now completely dark. I took over the helm and asked Lauren to go upstairs to get the upper helm ready- I have much better vision from up there, 360 degrees instead of the lower helm where I only have 180 degrees. While she runs upstairs, I am trying to drive us out of the anchorage, trying to stay clear of the other boats and their anchor lines. I realize that I had not turned on any lights or even the radio, so I reach over and turn those on. As the radio comes on I can hear other boats chattering about them dragging too and needing help, some are calling out to Marina’s to try to get a dock and the coast guard is interjecting in at points.. At this point my only worry is to get us away from other boats which would be a safer place. Lauren has come back down and let’s me know we’re ready to move upstairs. She takes the lower helm while I dash upstairs and take over from there. Lauren quickly joins me up there and we cautiously make our way out of the anchorage. Whew! That was all-consuming! The wind is still blustery and the water is turbulent, but we are clear of collisions. Lauren now is looking at the weather forecast and it is showing twenty plus mile an hour winds for the next couple of hours! This all came out of nowhere. We are now driving blind, only our GPS chart to guide us as it is so dark and the noise from the wind and waves are intense. We find a spot and drop our anchor agin, this time letting out almost two hundred feet of line. We keep the engine running during this just to make sure. The anchor has caught hold and we are now sitting there, adrenaline pumping, looking at each other still in awe of how fast that all happened. “What a team!” I exclaimed as we sit there. It truly was a team effort to get everything together and moving before any of the worst possible scenarios could happen. We continued to look at the forecast and kept the engine at idle for at least an hour. Finally, I walked over and killed the engine. At this point we were not moving and the wind was staying steady, then dropping little by little. Now the adrenaline was wearing off and I was getting tired. I knew Lauren was going to stay up for a while, keeping an eye out, just to make sure. I retired, still saying “what a team!”. I fell off to sleep while Lauren stayed up for a bit longer on the anchor watch…

Today is our wedding anniversary! We left our anchorage and we are headed north on the ICW towards Southport. We had met some people while we were in Melbourne, Florida who gave us a few pages of suggested stops and highlights from Virginia to Florida; They also happen to be ‘Harbor Hosts’- they are available to cruisers for local information and any assistance. I contacted them as we were making our way and let them know when we would be arriving. Robert told me we could dock at a local restaurant which has docks as the city docks were currently closed. He had spoken to the owner and got permission for us! Once we were close I called him again and he said he would meet us at the dock to assist with lines. We pulled in and got tied up, then Robert gave us the run down of the town. We made sure everything was secure and took the bikes for a ride around town. Since it was our anniversary, I was on the search for some champagne. We stopped at a couple of wine shops but they were all closed. We eventually found a convenience store which had a small selection of sparkling wine, so I was able to at least procure that. We made it back o the boat and made a nice dinner to enjoy as the sun was setting with our wine. As we sat on the back deck of the boat, we watched a sailboat come in and anchor in the harbor. We were expecting some rain and wind overnight, so I made sure we were well secured again and we retired for the evening.

Tomorrow we plan on going to Wrightsville Beach, which is about a twenty three mile trip.

Our intention today was to stop at Barefoot Landing Entertainment Complex, which has a bunch of restaurants and shopping, and has free day docks. As we came to the complex we saw everything was still closed, so we decided to continue on. It was a nice day for a boat ride. A couple of hours later we were close to our destination, but decided we would go out the inlet to maybe swim in the ocean. We started to make our way towards the ocean and the depths we’re getting very shallow and the waves were picking up. I decided to abandon that plan and turned around to go find our anchorage. We turned up Calabash Creek and were greeted with the sight of several sunken boats, half submerged and a couple of boats high and dry on shore. Yikes! Around these were a few small boats with people fishing and hanging out. We found a spot just out of the channel and dropped anchor. We ended up being somewhat close to a small boat- close enough I could talk to them- and asked if they wanted me to move? They were pleasant and said we were fine, they weren’t staying too much longer. Once we were settled in I had my anchor beer while making sure we were securely anchored.

The rest of the day was uneventful. We took Frank to a ‘beach’ which was actually a huge pile of shells. It wasn’t the best for him to walk on, but he made it work. Lauren and I took turns walking him, as one of us had to stay with the dinghy to make sure it didn’t come ashore and get a hole or slice from the shells. During dinner we looked at our next stop which will be in Southport, North Carolina.

Our trip to Osprey Marina was a little over fifteen miles. The marina is known for its cheap fuel and dock rates. We departed after my swim and made our way to the marina. We had called for the reservation the day before and they were pretty full but had made room for us. As we were on the way the dock master called me and said we should come to the fuel dock and he would show me the dock. Apparently it is going to be a bit difficult to get in the slip. Great. We continued north on the ICW and finally got close. As we were getting closer I could hear another boat on the radio talking to the marina about their reservation and also getting fuel. Apparently the marina only has one fuel dock and it was currently occupied, so they had to wait out in the ICW until they called him in. As we got closer, I too called into the marina and was told to wait as well. No problem- we would just hang out here and wait until it was out turn. We waited about forty five minutes until they finally called us in. We maneuvered to the fuel dock and tied off. I told them we needed a pump out too, since we were there. I went about filling the fuel tanks and pumped a little over three hundred gallons- at least it was only $1.39/ gallon! The marina is also known for its low cost on docking- the first three night were $1.00 per foot, then it was .26 Cents a foot for each additional night. So it cost us $37/ night for three night and $9 for the fourth night. What a bargain! After I was finished pumping the fuel and settling up, the dock master showed me the dock we were going to. It was third in from the end, and the wind was really howling. He wanted to make sure we could fit and manage getting in the tight spot without hitting anything. I told him I would do my best and we should be okay with a dock hand assisting us. At this point there was nothing else to do but give it a try. The wind as I said was howling around twenty mile per hour with occasional gusts of up to twenty five/ thirty. This was going to be interesting. We fired up the engine and prepared to leave the fuel dock. There wasn’t a lot of room and we had to try to back out of the spot. As we were backing up the wind stared pushing the boat, but not in the direction I wanted. Shit. I was going back and forth between forward and reverse, throttle, then more, then less, trying to get the boat to turn, but it wouldn’t turn in the direction I wanted due to the wind. We were now clear of the dock but getting close to a boat tied to the side dock. I continued the maneuvering and we stayed clear of all boats tied off to the docks. Eventually we were facing the long entry way in and out of the marina and decided to just go on out and turn around in the ICW and come back in to get to the dock. We made our way out to turn around and there was a tow boat with boat in tow waiting to come in. I radioed to him my intentions and he replied but his radio wasn’t working right. I heard a garbled jumble but couldn’t understand him? Did he need to come in now? I called to him on the radio again to let him know I could not understand him and he gestured for me to turn around and go in. In the mean time the marina had called the tow boat and also told him they could not understand him either, so at least I know it wasn’t just me! We turned around and made our way back into the marina and toward the assigned slip. As we came down the fairway I could see there was someone waiting on the dock to assist us. I came in a slow as I could, adjusting with the wind and executed a clean turn into the dock, allowing Lauren to toss a line to the waiting hand and getting us in the spot without hitting the boat next to us. Once we got secured it was time to breathe a sigh of relief!

Now that we were in the marina we could relax. The next few days were spent hanging out, walking Frank by the goat farm that was next to the marina, and going into town on the bikes. The ride to town was not fun, as it was along a country road with no sidewalks or bike lanes. We made it to a hardware store where I was finally able to get the part I needed to fix our sink. No more holding a bucket under the drain and emptying a gallon at a time! Lauren did some laundry and we got the boat cleaned up a bit. We stayed away from people as best we could, even having groceries delivered to the marina. Otherwise we stayed on the boat and I watched our neighbor boat fish. He caught some large catfish, about twenty pounds or more! One night he was not attending his pole and a fish took the pole from the boat and into the water while he tried diving to save it! He luckily did not fall off the boat, but the fish won as he was never able to find the pole. The next day he had a new fishing pole…

Our next destination will be another anchorage at Calabash Creek, about thirty miles away…