October 24, 2011 Southport, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC

Sunny days are always great to have out on the water. It's always cooler near the water and today was no exception! We are at Osprey Marina on the ICW with great docking rates. This is the friendliest and cheapest and yet the cleanest and most comfortable of any marina yet! We will visit with Tom and Marie Raia Wednesday and leave the marina on Thursday morning.

We are watching hurricane Rina and we will continue to seek shelter if need be. We will not be out on the ocean until after we return to Fiu from Christmas and New Years at home...more to come.

Captain Sid

October 23, 2011 Sunday Wrightsville Beach to Southport,NC

We anchored in Pipeline Canal near a boat launch and park with the Dead End Grill near a marina and ordered wings and beer. This is just south of Cape Fear in Southport, NC...more to come.

October 22, 2011 Saturday Beaufort to Wrightsville Beach, NC

An early departure from Beaufort, NC helped us get to Wrightsville Beach,NC before dark. Bonnie took command of the wheel while I went up on deck to raise the sails. We were still reefed and only a portion of the mainsail was exposed and ready to do its job!

We headed straight to the inlet and proceeded to the Atlantic where we needed to cover about 71nm to Wrightsville Beach. The northerly winds were 5-15kts and this pushed us along with ocean waves of 1-2 feet. Needless to say Bonnie was comfortable and even stated how enjoyable the day on the ocean had been!

There was a parade of sorts of boaters heading out to sea as the conditions were near perfect for a safe trip down the coast. Bonnie read and fixed lunch and at one point asked where land was. I explained we were out about eight miles and the shoreline was not visible. She asked if we could get closer to land and I said no since there were buoys marking obstructions we needed to avoid. and besides we were traveling in a straight line to Masonboro Inlet where we intended to anchor at Wrightsville Beach. She accepted that and she was fine for the rest of the trip.

We covered about 70 miles today and it saved us a whole day on land in the ICW! That part of the ICW has bridges and sand bars and we probably would have made maybe 40-45 miles. We anchored and a short time later we took the dinghy in for a walk on the beach and a quick stop for ice cream at Bob's Market that Captain Sid was craving!

Captain Sid

October 21,2011 Friday Ball Creek to Beaufort, NC

More to come!

We left Bill and Mary after coffee and the ladies returned from the store to restock our galleys.
We had an absolutely wonderful day on the Pamlico Sound on our way from visiting Bill and Mary. We met up again with Tubby, a small trawler being single-handed. This is the third time our paths have crossed on the way south!

When you enter a narrow channel from a larger body of water there is this thing that happens with several boaters converging between the buoys. What happens is at least one of the boaters will feel the need to barge ahead and cut others off so that they will be one boat ahead of someone else! It's alot like cars on a highway approaching a construction zone where there is a lane drop. We will all go single file but seems necessary for one car to get ahead of someone else.

Several power boaters sped by and created this huge wall of water with their wake and it's next to impossible for a sailboat to not get rocked! A slow pass by the power boater and a throttle down by the sailboat make for a safe and respectful pass! For many power boaters this is not in their vocabulary! The worst offenders are the sport fishing boaters who view us sailboats as slow, in their way and most of all not real boaters! Sailboats have to have forward motion with water passing their rudder in order to steer, while power boats need only to add power and turn their wheel. This limited maneuverability of sailboats in rarely understood by power boaters. In all fairness there was one power boater who made a slow pass today!

Reaching Beaufort, NC was another relief since we have been here twice before and this is the town marina where they have a loaner car for you to restock at the local "Piggly Wiggly" market.
We didn't see any wild horses that roam some of the islands. We decided to have dinner out at the marina and collect the two free beers that come in your welcome pack when you register for a slip.

The power boater that gave us a respectful and considerate pass (one w/o the wall of water from its wake) was docked in the next row near us. I made it a point to tell the couple how much we appreciated their thoughtfulness!

Once again we took advantage of a pump-out and diesel fuel. Showers were taken, a short walk to some local shops and finally sleep time!

Captain Sid



Captain Sid

October 20, 2011 Thursday Pungo River to Ball Creek, NC

Bill and Mary, our sailing friends from Marathon ,FL whom we met during our last trip on Fiu live nearby on Ball Creek, NC, which is on the same peninsula as Oriental, NC. Since we have to pass the opening to their bay and we haven't seen them for over a year, Bonnie called to try and arrange a visit. Both are interesting and fun to be with. However, they have crossed over to the dark side and have a trawler they enjoy! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and had key lime pie for dessert! Next morning Mary took Bonnie and Pat to the store to help us restock.

The creek leading to their house and dock is very shallow (less than 5'). We managed to power our way to their dock where we rafted with Pat and Walt. Leaving was a little easier since there seem to be more water in the creek. There is no tide here but the wind actually blows the water out of their creek and it can remain shallow for long periods of time depending on the strength and duration of the wind.

Captain Sid

October 18, 2011 Tuesday Elizabeth City to Pungo River

Today was a good weather day. The hardest part is nudging along into the wind! This gets old quickly. We were able to sail in the early AM then the winds continued out of the south as we turned and headed directly into the wind for most of the day.

The Alligator River Swing Bridge takes you from the Abermerle Sound to the Alligator River. This connects with the Alligator River Pungo River Canal. The canal is wide but has many stumps and downed trees. There is very little wildlife visible from our boat. Buzzards and bald eagles were present, however.

Pat and Walt anchored at mile 127 ahead of us. We entered the shallow bay and worked our way to a secure area with lots of grassy fingers protecting us from the waves that otherwise would be getting bigger as the wind is expected to increase well into the day and later at night! We are just a couple of boat-lengths away from each other and close enough for a conversation but far enough apart to be protected from bumping as we swing with the wind.

I called Miles at Osprey Marina about staying there a couple of days to visit with Tom and Marie. I am considering leaving Fiu there for the summer months. Then Bonnie and I would have a shorter trip to warmer weather. The wind and waves have taken their toll on us this trip!
We stayed here for two nights since the winds were up to 25 knots and rain to boot! The next part of our journey requires us to cross the Pamlico River and it is usually rough for the six or so miles.

This gave me time to change the oil in the diesel, tighten the alternator belt as well as several engine hose clamps. I use an Oil Buddy that sucks the engine oil up and out through the dipstick and it stores it until I can find a marina to accept it.

These pics are not of the sail today but I wanted to include them. The first is one taken at the Solomons Island while the second was taken at the Maritime Museum nearby. The third pic is of Bonnie at the entrance to Colonial Williamsburgh. We are doing well.

Captain Sid

October 17, 2011 Monday Portsmouth to Elizabeth City NC

The Dismal Swamp is an interesting route to the Abermerle Sound. As I said yesterday, the leaves are beginning to change colors. There are few reds mostly yellows I guess because there are fewer maple trees in this region. The Dismal Swamp is but three miles longer than the Virginia Cut and both meet in the lower Abermerle Sound.

The first lock was an eye-opener since there were 15 boats ready and waiting to be locked through to the Dismal Swamp. This part of the journey was developed in the early 1800's to ship goods north-south. The canal was obviously hand dug and is very narrow with only room for a pass if both boats move to the outside edges of the canal. This is when a stump is usually waiting to take a bite out of your hull!

We were fortunate to arrive before dark in Elizabeth City, NC and to have our choice of two free slips to tie up. There were three men waving and pointing to the empty slips and all gave us a helping hand with our lines to safely get us tied up. We missed the free wine and cheese at 5:30 pm which is a daily happening here. There are 14 free slips and the city is very boater friendly. There is a free loaner car as well to shop and restock.

It was an extended day as we motor-sailed 75 miles! That's pretty unusual unless we are out on the ocean. I'm getting better at keeping up the blog and I will continue to post more pics!