Monday, October 31, 2011
Just As We Think We've Got It Figured Out...
We are at a slip at the Carolina Beach State Park marina as this is written. We arrived here yesterday and will stay till tomorrow. Fall seems to be a time when Mother Nature isn't sure what sort of weather to provide. Some days it still feels like late summer as it did when we arrived at Wrightsville Beach just a few days ago. Sandra even went in for a swim. We walked to the beach and enjoyed the warm sun. Yesterday morning when we left the temperature was 40. This morning, it's cloudy with a temperature of 48. We're supposed to see cool temps again tonight, but Mother Nature will revert back to more summer-like temperatures by midweek.
During our travel here, we enjoyed seeing dolphins playing with fish by tossing them into the air with their tails before presumably eating them. We also experienced a couple of the challenges on that day, as well. As we approached the bridge at Wrightsville Beach at low tide, we had to contend with a strong tidal current pushing us to the bridge while several boats did their best not to run aground waiting for the opening. When the bridge finally opened we followed a big power boat under. Oblivious to the boats around it, this boat just got passed the bridge and then stopped dead in the water. We were under the bridge with little maneuvering room, and there was another boat just behind us. Finally we heard on the radio that this power boat was moving into a slip and we had to find a way to get around it. We did manage to avoid it and moved along toward our turn off the ICW to our anchorage. One must always be prepared for the unexpected.
We had come to a point when we thought we had most of this travel figured out and could avoid any real problems. We'd been helping guide a first time traveler from Canada down through some shallow spots today, and we were feeling like the experienced travelers. However, as we approached the turn in rather shallow water, we noticed a tug and barge had run aground right where we were to turn. The tug was spinning around a bit trying to get the barge free. Finally it was successful, but not before it had stirred up the bottom a bit. As we passed it and prepared to turn, we ran aground on a hump we think may have been created by the barge. We immediately radioed the boat behind us to go by since we weren't going anywhere. They did so and told us there was plenty of water just off to the right. The current spun us around and pushed us off the hump. That was a good thing. I noted that we'd run aground precisely in the middle of the channel. From there to our anchorage went smoothly.
However, when we left for this present spot, we had some engine issues that may slow us down a bunch. Fortunately the trip here was a short one lasting less than three hours, and we made it OK. I did my best to analyze the issue and take corrective action. Only more travel will tell us whether I was successful.
On a positive note, a friend from Sandra's past now living in eastern North Carolina, whom she'd not seen in 15 years, stopped by for a visit. She had been reading the blog and knew we'd be in Wrightsville Beach about now. She contacted us to arrange this meeting. What a great time we all had, so thanks Priscilla for making the effort.
Our current stop was recommended by Dick and Libby, cruisers we'd met last winter in Marathon. They told us how nice a spot it was and that we could collect pine needles here that were the longest we'd ever seen. They were right on all counts. It's a lovely spot, and the needles are about 15 inches long. We see more baskets in our future for sure.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
Monday, October 24, 2011
Our First Days Heading South
Our plan was to leave on Friday morning, October 21st, and we managed to stick with that plan. However as we began, we were reminded of Mother Nature's impact on our plans. We knew we had to leave fairly early in the morning because the tide would out later and prevent us from moving the boat out of the slip. Given the weather a day earlier, the winds had blown some extra sea water out of the Bay, resulting in lower than usual tides. Hence we scooted out at 7:30 AM with just a few inches left under our keel.
I then had a pleasant surprise. Due to the wind direction, we were able to sail all the way down to the entrance of Hampton Roads – no engine needed. Now you may wonder what is so surprising about this. You're on a sailboat, aren't you. Well, the trip down the ICW is really a motor trip not a sail. There are times when there's enough wind to motor-sail, that is have the sails up to help us move along better than we could with engine alone. However, there are few days during this trip when we can just sail. We've done it sometimes during offshore portions of the trip or in a bay, but seldom do we find the wind strong enough or blowing the right direction to help us enough to avoid firing up the diesel. Much of the trip has us following winding rivers or along protected portions of the coast with little wind to help us. Since the trip is a long one, we're reluctant to be satisfied with sailing if we must do it at half the speed we could manage if we had the engine helping us. Therefore, I really enjoyed the fine sail down the Chesapeake Bay on our first morning of the trip.
I was reminded recently that many of those who read this blog have never been down the ICW and therefore know little about it. (For those who've made the trip, please forgive me. Feel free to skip this portion of the blog.) The ICW was originally conceived a long time ago. Portions were started at least during the time of George Washington. In fact, he promoted the idea. Basically, it a series of rivers, bays and sounds along the East Coast between Norfolk, Virginia and Miami, Florida that are dredged in places to assure that they are navigable. Then these bodies of water are connected by man-made canals of varying lengths in order to form a waterway the entire distance that is all protected waters. There is no need to sail in the ocean and add that risk to the trip. While it was created for commercial traffic, it is also used today by lots of pleasure boaters like us. Commercial traffic is still important along portions of the ICW, mostly in the form of tugs pushing or pulling large barges loaded with everything from gravel to heavy equipment. During these first two days of travel south from Norfolk, we covered a number of miles on the canals that help to make up the ICW. The longest one to date is twenty one miles long and connects two rivers in North Carolina. These canals aren't wide like rivers you'd imagine. They are less than 100 feet wide in places and usually about 12 – 16 feet deep. As we head further south, we'll see many expensive homes built along canals of the ICW – great examples of expensive, man-made waterfront property.
What we've noticed that is special about these first days of the trip are the contrasts that are so visible. On the first day we sail into Hampton Roads, the largest natural harbor in the world. We are quickly reminded that, not only is this a major commercial port, but it's also home to the Navy's Atlantic Fleet. We anchor that first night at mile marker 0 at the northern of the offical ICW. The anchorage there is called Hospital Point, since it's a cove by a large veterans hospital on the Portsmouth side of the Elizabeth River. On the opposite bank is downtown Norfolk with tall buildings and lots of lights. On the river, the traffic is steady with ships, tugs, ferries and pleasure craft. Since the Elizabeth River is narrow, one must continually be alert to traffic that may enter the river from any of the docks that line both sides. The river could look empty one minute and have a tug bearing down on you the next. We anchored in this mix for the night and awoke the next morning to find a Carnival Cruise Liner parked not 200 yards in front of us.
After dealing with bridges which must open to let us through and the hustle and bustle of the port, we soon found ourselves on a canal in what looks like ancient swamp and marshes with no signs of civilization. As we traveled down that long canal in North Carolina, we found ourselves even out of cell phone range in addition to no physical sign of civilization for miles. We'll see more of this sort of contrast as we continue south. It's part of what makes the trip so fascinating...at least the first time. For us now the trip has become familiar and less surprising. It's a long trip and we may skip some of it via an ocean passage. That's all weather dependent. Of course there's much for us to see and always some new sights as we travel down this protected route.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
I then had a pleasant surprise. Due to the wind direction, we were able to sail all the way down to the entrance of Hampton Roads – no engine needed. Now you may wonder what is so surprising about this. You're on a sailboat, aren't you. Well, the trip down the ICW is really a motor trip not a sail. There are times when there's enough wind to motor-sail, that is have the sails up to help us move along better than we could with engine alone. However, there are few days during this trip when we can just sail. We've done it sometimes during offshore portions of the trip or in a bay, but seldom do we find the wind strong enough or blowing the right direction to help us enough to avoid firing up the diesel. Much of the trip has us following winding rivers or along protected portions of the coast with little wind to help us. Since the trip is a long one, we're reluctant to be satisfied with sailing if we must do it at half the speed we could manage if we had the engine helping us. Therefore, I really enjoyed the fine sail down the Chesapeake Bay on our first morning of the trip.
I was reminded recently that many of those who read this blog have never been down the ICW and therefore know little about it. (For those who've made the trip, please forgive me. Feel free to skip this portion of the blog.) The ICW was originally conceived a long time ago. Portions were started at least during the time of George Washington. In fact, he promoted the idea. Basically, it a series of rivers, bays and sounds along the East Coast between Norfolk, Virginia and Miami, Florida that are dredged in places to assure that they are navigable. Then these bodies of water are connected by man-made canals of varying lengths in order to form a waterway the entire distance that is all protected waters. There is no need to sail in the ocean and add that risk to the trip. While it was created for commercial traffic, it is also used today by lots of pleasure boaters like us. Commercial traffic is still important along portions of the ICW, mostly in the form of tugs pushing or pulling large barges loaded with everything from gravel to heavy equipment. During these first two days of travel south from Norfolk, we covered a number of miles on the canals that help to make up the ICW. The longest one to date is twenty one miles long and connects two rivers in North Carolina. These canals aren't wide like rivers you'd imagine. They are less than 100 feet wide in places and usually about 12 – 16 feet deep. As we head further south, we'll see many expensive homes built along canals of the ICW – great examples of expensive, man-made waterfront property.
What we've noticed that is special about these first days of the trip are the contrasts that are so visible. On the first day we sail into Hampton Roads, the largest natural harbor in the world. We are quickly reminded that, not only is this a major commercial port, but it's also home to the Navy's Atlantic Fleet. We anchor that first night at mile marker 0 at the northern of the offical ICW. The anchorage there is called Hospital Point, since it's a cove by a large veterans hospital on the Portsmouth side of the Elizabeth River. On the opposite bank is downtown Norfolk with tall buildings and lots of lights. On the river, the traffic is steady with ships, tugs, ferries and pleasure craft. Since the Elizabeth River is narrow, one must continually be alert to traffic that may enter the river from any of the docks that line both sides. The river could look empty one minute and have a tug bearing down on you the next. We anchored in this mix for the night and awoke the next morning to find a Carnival Cruise Liner parked not 200 yards in front of us.
After dealing with bridges which must open to let us through and the hustle and bustle of the port, we soon found ourselves on a canal in what looks like ancient swamp and marshes with no signs of civilization. As we traveled down that long canal in North Carolina, we found ourselves even out of cell phone range in addition to no physical sign of civilization for miles. We'll see more of this sort of contrast as we continue south. It's part of what makes the trip so fascinating...at least the first time. For us now the trip has become familiar and less surprising. It's a long trip and we may skip some of it via an ocean passage. That's all weather dependent. Of course there's much for us to see and always some new sights as we travel down this protected route.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Southern Migration Begins for Us
Our time in Gloucester, VA has passed quickly. We've been busy attending to all that was on our list as we sorted out issues from our New England travel and prepared to move south to the Keys and Marathon. The job was made easier thanks to the hospitality of Jenn and Greg who offered their home to us and several meals while the boat was out of the water getting painted as well as at other times.
The boat now looks a bit better with a new paint job for the bottom and wax above the waterline. The boat has been cleaned inside and out, and we've swapped out that which we needed for the northern travel for that which will serve us as we head south. Included with the change of clothing and adding the bikes and kayaks is the addition of the cruising guides and charts that will help us as we travel down the ICW. We also include books on the wildlife we might find in south Florida and the Keys as well as snorkeling booklets to help us sort out what fish we might see or catch while there.
The boat issues were hopefully resolved during our stay here. We replaced the water pump and checked out the rest of the cooling system. We changed the fuel and oil filters and hopefully patched up a small leak in one of our water tanks. I also installed a third computer for the auto pilot. I was skeptical about such a change fixing our non-working unit, but the technicians at the company were out of other ideas. I was both surprised and pleased when a rather brief test sail earlier this week had the unit working for the first time since we bought it eleven months ago. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's a permanent fix.
While I was addressing some of these issues, Sandra was focusing on provisions for the trip. Traveling through the Carolinas, it's not always easy to get to a grocery store with the sorts of food we hope to eat. Being primarily vegetarians and interested in whole grains and a variety of beans and pastas, we find it easier to stock up while we're here with enough to limit our need to shop on the way. It's always tough to know exactly what we'll need or want as we travel, so we may still need to add to this as we head south.
We're planning to head out on Friday (October 21st) which is earlier than we've left in previous years. In spite of that, I sometimes think we're leaving later than most others. This is primarily because we know of cruisers who have already started down the ditch, as they often call the ICW. One couple came down from NYC with us, and they're already nearly in South Carolina as I write this. Another couple we met in Maine stopped by here on their way south. They are leaving Beaufort, NC as we leave the Severn River Marina. A few other boaters left this marina in the past ten days headed south. That said, we know of two or three other boats also getting ready to leave here on Friday. And from our past experience, we know that we'll see lots of boats in Norfolk as we deal with the several bridges that need to open for us and the lock we'll pass through. We continue to be surprised by the number of boaters who head south each year as we do. The number is well into the thousands. We see hundreds as we travel, and we're sure that on most days this time of year, the ICW is full of travelers. Most sailboats travel at about the same speed. Since there isn't an abundance of anchorages, we seem to see many of the same boats each evening. As we stop in popular towns, some stay longer than others, so we leave with a somewhat different group and stay more or less together till the next popular spot. It's an interesting and different way to travel. For those not so familiar with boat travel, you should know that our speed is about 7 mph, and we don't travel the ICW at night. This limits our daily travel to somewhere between 40 and 70 miles. The variation is dependent on bridge openings, weather and tidal current.
But enough of all this. We're ready to head out. We'll do our best to share our experiences and thoughts along the way.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
The boat now looks a bit better with a new paint job for the bottom and wax above the waterline. The boat has been cleaned inside and out, and we've swapped out that which we needed for the northern travel for that which will serve us as we head south. Included with the change of clothing and adding the bikes and kayaks is the addition of the cruising guides and charts that will help us as we travel down the ICW. We also include books on the wildlife we might find in south Florida and the Keys as well as snorkeling booklets to help us sort out what fish we might see or catch while there.
The boat issues were hopefully resolved during our stay here. We replaced the water pump and checked out the rest of the cooling system. We changed the fuel and oil filters and hopefully patched up a small leak in one of our water tanks. I also installed a third computer for the auto pilot. I was skeptical about such a change fixing our non-working unit, but the technicians at the company were out of other ideas. I was both surprised and pleased when a rather brief test sail earlier this week had the unit working for the first time since we bought it eleven months ago. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's a permanent fix.
While I was addressing some of these issues, Sandra was focusing on provisions for the trip. Traveling through the Carolinas, it's not always easy to get to a grocery store with the sorts of food we hope to eat. Being primarily vegetarians and interested in whole grains and a variety of beans and pastas, we find it easier to stock up while we're here with enough to limit our need to shop on the way. It's always tough to know exactly what we'll need or want as we travel, so we may still need to add to this as we head south.
We're planning to head out on Friday (October 21st) which is earlier than we've left in previous years. In spite of that, I sometimes think we're leaving later than most others. This is primarily because we know of cruisers who have already started down the ditch, as they often call the ICW. One couple came down from NYC with us, and they're already nearly in South Carolina as I write this. Another couple we met in Maine stopped by here on their way south. They are leaving Beaufort, NC as we leave the Severn River Marina. A few other boaters left this marina in the past ten days headed south. That said, we know of two or three other boats also getting ready to leave here on Friday. And from our past experience, we know that we'll see lots of boats in Norfolk as we deal with the several bridges that need to open for us and the lock we'll pass through. We continue to be surprised by the number of boaters who head south each year as we do. The number is well into the thousands. We see hundreds as we travel, and we're sure that on most days this time of year, the ICW is full of travelers. Most sailboats travel at about the same speed. Since there isn't an abundance of anchorages, we seem to see many of the same boats each evening. As we stop in popular towns, some stay longer than others, so we leave with a somewhat different group and stay more or less together till the next popular spot. It's an interesting and different way to travel. For those not so familiar with boat travel, you should know that our speed is about 7 mph, and we don't travel the ICW at night. This limits our daily travel to somewhere between 40 and 70 miles. The variation is dependent on bridge openings, weather and tidal current.
But enough of all this. We're ready to head out. We'll do our best to share our experiences and thoughts along the way.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
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