As I listen to the rain bouncing off the deck of the boat just over my head, and realize we are just two days from Beaufort, I feel as though we have moved into the ‘South’.
It is just something about Live Oaks, Spanish Moss, Saw Grass lining the waterway, and big tides that makes me glad to be here.
Of course anyone who brings a boat down the waterway in late November and early December in an open cockpit should have their head examined. Although it has definitely been milder than previous years, mild is a relative term.
When you start out in the morning with a hose in your hand, washing the mud off the anchor as it comes in, with a flashlight in your teeth so you can see in the dark – well you start cold and pretty much stay cold all day.
And you have to start in the dark if you plan on getting anywhere. If you are only moving an average of 6 miles an hour, if you start at dark (630) and end before dark (530) at best you run 66 miles. Usually it is more like 50 or 55 and glad to get it. Say 250 miles from DC to Norfolk in open water. Then another 540 to Beaufort SC, and you still have 700 to go to Marathon. It’s a hike for sure so you get in as many as you can if you do not want to spend half a year travelling south!
Last post we were anchored just north of Albemarle Sound which is just south of Norfolk. We motored a long day to end up just south of the Pungo River Alligator River Canal. This is a 24 mile (4 hours!) run at the end of the 18 mile south leg through the Alligator River. We anchored right at dusk and ran Goose ashore for his businesses.
We stopped by the other boat anchored near us to say hello and came to realize they were in Crisfield, MD when we went through the 70 mph storm this summer. Small world.
The next morning saw a norther passing through. With a 30mph wind behind us we flew under sail down the Pungo River, into the Pamlico River where it got a bit rough (and cold) and on up to visit Bath NC. It was only 12 miles out of the way but took a few hours and some rough water to get to a really nice sheltered anchorage. Bath is the oldest town in NC and was once the home of Blackbeard the pirate. He ended up coming home for the last time with his head cut off and hanging from the bow of a British warship that finally caught him. The little town is worth a visit!
With a dying wind we made Beaufort NC the next day where we hung out with out friends Kenny and Nancy Bock at Bock Marine for a few days before moving on south.
From Beaufort, a southbound boat hits the coast, turns to the west and follows it just inshore from the beach through Swansboro to the Camp Lejeune Marine base anchorage for the night where Shelly stepped out of the dinghy on the ramp, slipped and busted her patootie on the slippery boat ramp we had used to get ashore. Luckily bruises heal much more quickly than broken bones.
The path then winds through Wrightsville Beach and into Carolina Beach where we able to drop an anchor and actually walk the beach. The next day was a wild ride down the Cape Fear River with more 30 mph winds blowing us into Southport and back into the river system again. Down into Shallotte, Myrtle Beach, and into the Waccamaw River towards Georgetown took another two days.
It was fascinating to see the very clear mark in the woods 4 feet above normal from the recent storm and docks still,stuck up on top of pilings. A bridge tender told me the bridges were closed for 10 days and no traffic passed. This was in the middle of the fall north to south boat migration so I guess it was a mess! She also said she watched people’s docks float off down the river for days after the storm.
From Georgetown it is a short run down Winyah Bay into the back channels again, on past McClenaville SC (where the Oct Storm came ashore) and another 40 miles to Charleston.
We will be off in the morning and plan on an anchorage in a creek halfway to Beaufort for arrival on Wednesday to see who is interested in doing another golf fundraiser in the spring.
And that catches me up. And I can go back to the awesome book I am reading about the Washington State rowing team who won the Olympics in Berlin in 1936!
This is the view back towards the west heading out Washington Channel and Gangplank Marina where we stayed this fall. The Washington Monument is to the left and all the new construction for The Wharf DC is to the right.
Dropped the dinghy in the dark and took Goose in for a beach run. I could hear him running to and from but couldn’t see him! Back on the boat and underway as the sun was beginning to lighten the sky in the east. It turned into a blood red (red sky in morning – sailors take warning!) sunrise but we could not get that in the picture.
Motored all the way to St Mary’s River and up to a marina called Denis Point to wait out a blow. And blow it did. From 70 degrees it dropped to 30 and blew gusting to 45. We were snug!
Left Tuesday morning on a very cold blustery day heading out of the Potomac towards Smith Point Light where it was still blowing 30 mph with 4 ft seas; round the light turning south and tightening the sheets for the 20 mile run to Windmill Point on the Rappahannock River when the boat seemed to slow down. With that wind and surfing down the waves hitting 10 knots there was no time to check it. When we finally arrived in Deltaville, Va, cold and tired, and got into some shallow, clear water Shelly could see the crab pot line trailing behind the boat.
We were able to cut the float from behind the rudder and pull up the trap. We wonder what those four crabs were thinking all afternoon flying through the water? We let them go free and set the trap up on the local dock for someone to have. TTL the trap did not get up in the propeller! The water temp is 49! Body parts shrivel just thinking about having to go in after it!
Anchored in a very quiet cove, with stars seeming to touch the boat.
Out at daybreak to an absolutely gorgeous red dawn that burst into a beautiful (but chilly) day. Sailed/motorsailed/motored down the Chesapeake through a very quiet Norfolk and Hampton Roads and on past mile #1 of the Intracoastal Waterway. With a quick phone call our plans changed as the Dismal Swamp Canal is closed until further notice due to trees down from the fall storm.
Made our way through the lock at Great Bridge and the bridge itself (site of the first revolutionary war battle in VA – won by us!).
Up early for a quick walk in the light rain – then on 45 miles (rainy and cold the whole day) to Coinjock for fuel and another 5 miles to an anchorage for the night and a tuna steak Thanksgiving dinner!
Gotta get going early though to make it through the Albemarle Sound and Alligator River before another strong cold front pushes through this weekend.
We left Gangplank and DC at 330 this afternoon and ran down the Potomac under a foresail and engine and the outgoing tide doing about 7.5 knots past Ronald Reagan Airport, the new National Harbor, Ft. Washington and Mt Vernon before dropping an anchor by a small beach in about 8 feet of absolutely flat calm water as the sun sank in the west.
As I write there is a huge difference in our lives. From the last three months of constant noise from the other boats in the marina, the construction of 6 new huge buildings at The Wharf, the metro subway (yes you can hear it go by underground!), the planes from RR airport, and the helicopters all day from and to the White House – to absolutely quiet.
From over 50 fundraiser events at places like Walter Reed, the Pentagon, CIA, FEMA, ad nauseum with two dogs – thinking about where we have to be, when, for how long and how much time to allow for traffic – to just Goose and us and no traffic and nowhere to be.
From being tied to a dock and not moving – to living off the grid tied to the bottom with an anchor and wondering where we will end up tomorrow.
From noise noise noise to
It is awesome.
Not to say we did not enjoy what we were doing because it is an honor to be able to raise money for our veterans in need. And it is also almost a duty to help educate people who send veterans into harms way about PTS and what a service dog can do to help. They are so ignorant. (So were we 5 years ago!)
But this is the life we love and it is so great to be back.
We have the oil lamps lit for heat and light. The fresh crab cakes are on the stove and the red wine is matching nicely. A long day tomorrow should take us to Smith Creek and our favorite sea glass beach!
One of the last events this week was the Dept of Justice and we are very appreciative for Abby to invite us and show us around the building. Loretta was a little busy working on her resume and we didn’t get to see her! 14 month old SHILOH has moved to her new home after helping us for the last three months. She was a joy to have and we wish her the best.
We had fun driving up to NJ and visiting Ryan for a night (election night no less!) and meeting his friends who are starting an exciting new online company.
I think the one monument we will take with us is the Washington Monument. We saw this one every day from the boat and almost everywhere we drove. Some day we might even get to ride the broken elevator to the top!
But not this year because we are gone! The plan right now is to make our way south around Fl and go visit Ryan in St Pete Fl. But that is 1400 miles and months away so who knows?
If you follow anything we do you might have noticed we haven’t posted anything new. As an excuse, let me point to the fact we have attended over 50 events in Washington DC and surrounding areas raising funds for veterans with PTSD in need of a service dog.
We have also spent a great deal of time to help get the person and party elected that says they will do what is needed to correct some ‘mis-alignments’ in our government. Let us hope that they hold to those promises!
Now, with these successes on the record it is very exciting to be turning back south and getting back to the cruising life. We leave DC in a few days after a couple more events this week.
