Wrightsville Beach to Southport

Short day today.  We only went about 30 miles.  We had hoped to stop near the NC/SC border, but it turns out there isn't anywhere to anchor and the only decent marina we could find is closed on Tuesdays!  Southport Marina was our choice.  We arrived at 11:30 and sent out the SPOT signal and right away got an email from Robby and Carol suggesting we try the Moore Street Market for lunch, so off we went. Lunch was good and I decided to wander around town while Dan rushed back to talk to a mechanic about our aging and ailing inverter/charger.  As soon as I returned...another email. This time from a Catalina buddy, Gerry Helldorfer, who has been following us-maybe TOO closely!  A few days ago, he alerted us to a cool iPhone app that transmits an AIS (Automatic Identification Signal) that can be followed on the website www.marinetraffic.com.  So, of course, I downloaded the app and have it transmitting our position as we travel each day.  Well, today, I forgot to turn if off when we tied up here and headed off into town with my phone in my pocket.  Gerry's email was titled "Busted!" and he asked how our trip around town was.  (This isn't the same as the "live map" Sam has set up at the top of our blog page---both use cell signal to track us, but the AIS app puts you on the map with lots of other yachts and commercial vessels.)

Here we are tied to the inside of the fuel dock at Southport Marina - - - that is where we were tied up until 4 mega-yachts arrived between 4 and 5 and still another was due needing 1000 gallons of fuel.  The dockmaster offered to cut our bill in half if we would be willing to move to a slip to free up space at the fuel dock.  I love a bargain and we gladly moved to "D" dock for the night.  We decided we could take advantage of our windfall and go out for dinner. We tried the Fishy Fishy Cafe.  Enjoyable, but nothing special.  Tomorrow we will make it to SC and hope to get to Osprey Marina, south of Myrtle Beach.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Swansboro, NC to Wrightsville Beach (SOUTH of the bridge)

For those of you who have slogged through all our blog posts, you might remember the significance of a certain spot just north of the Wrightsville Beach Bridge.  That's where we ran aground and with the help of Towboat US pulled off our rudder!  The tide was lower as we passed "Brunelle's little island, so it was much more noticeable, and a palm tree still graces the site.

We also enjoyed watching a pair of dolphins' antics as three of us jockeyed about waiting for the bridge to open.  I especially like the otherworldly effect the sun gave their glistening bodies and spray.

                                                                                                                                                                              We started the day with a call to the Marine Base at Camp Lejeune and were assured there would be no activity along the ICW today.  That didn't preclude a few sights and sounds (from a slew of vertical take-off planes) to remind us where we were.

A good bit of the day was spent worrying about Green Marker 61A.  We had a call from a former Catalina 400 owner before we left the Chesapeake warning us about this spot where the Brown's Inlet has caused so much shoaling you have to be very careful to follow the buoying.  We also read about it in several of our guide books and noted that there were 56 comments in Active Captain about it.  We also listened to lots of chatter from all the boats that preceded us through the area.  With all our foreknowledge we made it through without seeing anything shallower than 10.9 feet!  I decided to "spell it out" for you on the picture Dan took.  Note the green day beacon on the left side of the picture and the red nun to the right.  The new buoy 61A is farther to the right than the nun!  You'd think you should follow the dotted line, but no, out and around did the trick.

As soon as we went through the Wrightsville Beach Bridge. we tied up at the Bridge Tenders Marina. 

As soon as we were tied up, we took a walk to West Marine for a few small items.  It turns out the West Marine is in a shopping center with a Harris Teeter!  Our first visit to one of our favorite food stores on this trip.  Dan wanted to get a picture of me in front of the store... not gonna happen.

Dinner aboard with fresh produce from Harris Teeter.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

River Dunes to Dudleys Marina, Swansboro,NC

We're back on the way again, our stay wasn't one of the 50 frugal ICW stops, even if we did get one night free, but it is still a favorite.  We waited out the dreaded cold front that never really struck, and had fun doing it.  We puttered around aboard and ashore and even got in a visit with niece Amy Bliss and her beau, Steve and his daughter Brianna.  They met us for lunch at M&M's cafe in Oriental on Saturday and then joined us for a short sail out into the Neuse River to let Amy get her feet "wet" again.

The Neuse was kind to us this morning and we motor-sailed all the way to Adams Creek.  We were away from the dock at 0630 (new time) but weren't the first out of RD's basin.  A teeny boat with two VERY young Canadian guys beat us out.   We passed them about half the way up the river.  The name of their craft was Knotty Buoys, which I think could be translated to Naughty Boys!

In contrast, we were passed by Aphrodite, a 74' "commuter yacht originally built in 1937.  I had read about her fantastic career, starting with whisking her first owner from his home on Long Island to his wall street office while he showered, dressed and read the paper.  It "served" in WWII, became a camp for disadvantaged boys, was abandoned, found, restored at Brooklin Boat Yard in Maine, and look at her now!



The trip through Bogue Sound looks easy if you look at a map (that doesn't feature depths), but it is a nerve wracking trek through a very narrow channel with what looks like vast amounts of water all around!

The bottom picture shows a VERY shallow path out to the ocean.

Just as we entered Adams Creek that leads down to the Beaufort/Morehead City area we spied our first dolphin of the trip.  We tried several times during the rest of the day to catch a picture and finally got a half decent one just before we reached our marina for the night.

I should mention that Dudleys is also on the frugal list. It is only 75 cents a foot and electric is included!  We didn't venture into their showers or bathrooms, but with the temperature dropping to 39 tonight, we're glad for heat!

We had dinner aboard and did facetime with  the grandchildren.  Night falls quickly when daylight savings time comes to an end, so we missed the actual sunset and had to settle for the afterglow. I did blow my conch horn at sunset just cuz.  ~~~_/)~~~M&D

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from River Dunes

This is my little vignette - - a token to the day.   It's tough not to be carving a pumpkin or watching grandkids get all dressed up.  The floral bouquet was a gift from our dinner guests tonight.  We have been e-mailing wit Jerry and Mallory Harwood for four years but never met them until tonight. They have a Catalina 400 and found our blog on the C-400 website and started following it.  They live in New Bern, NC (less than an hour away) so we asked them to join us for another yummy cruisers dinner here at River Dunes.  We had a great time getting to know them and sharing C-400 ideas and experiences. 

We spent the day washing down the boat, both inside and out...a sure sign that it will rain tomorrow. Dan messed with engine coupling and I finished measuring, cutting and sewing the rest of the "skirts" for the enclosure.  We should be ready for the rain no matter which direction it comes from!

My electric knife works like a charm, cutting sunbrella it leaves a clean edge that doesn't unravel.  I brought a 14" square glass shelf (it stores neatly under one of the seat cushions) keeps the hot knife from cutting my plastic cutting board.  With Dan supporting the window part of each panel I can sew the seams easily at the dinette table.  All in all a good system.  I just wish my Sailrite sewing machine didn't weigh a ton.  It also takes up a lot of room and we have to keep it away from the fluxgate compass that is part of the autopilot system!

We had signed up for the courtesy car that is available to dock guests from 12-2, so we headed into Oriental for lunch, a West Marine stop and a small provisioning stop at a small but sufficient grocery store.  That filled to two hours.  When we returned we saw that several boats that we had been with in Elizabeth City had come.  Dinner was quite crowded tonight and there was lots of lively conversations particularly about tomorrow's weather predictions.   Hope it isn't too lousy!  

~~~_/)~~~ M&D

Bonner Bay to River Dunes

Short hop today.  We were less than five miles from River Dunes, as the crow flies, when we anchored last night, but the trip out and around and up the Neuse River was 13 miles.  We still left at sunrise and faced the same tough conditions we've seen the last several days....like a mill pond! We did see a few pelicans out for breakfast.  Don't know if he was successful or not, he left without that satisfying twitch of his tail.!

 We were in by 0945, and by 1400 we had fueled up, pumped out, showered (ahh--River Dunes showers!) and done two loads of laundry.  The courtesy car was already booked for the whole afternoon, so we relaxed ashore and aboard before heading to the clubhouse for a cruisers dinner.  Very reasonable and quite good.  Soup, Salad, Bake Potato and Dessert.

We're not used to having a finger pier that is longer (by 20') than we are.  It's

almost like a runway!  River Dunes is ready for BIG boats.  

A 94' yacht came in while we were at dinner.

Quiet day all around, we think we'll hang out here and let the cold front predicted for Friday make its way through before we head on.  We have typically headed "outside" into the ocean for an overnight passage taking us from Morehead City all the way to Georgetown, SC.  We are still unsure what we'll do when we leave here. ~~~_/)~~~M&D

Elizabeth City-Alligator River-Bonner Bay (10/28-29)

We were one of the first to leave the roost in Elizabeth City, just as the sun rose, a beautiful sight both fore and aft, but....as it rose higher, it made it tough to see where we were going so we opened the front dodger panel and made our way across the glassy waters of the River.  

Unlike previous trips across the Albemarle Sound, it was a mill pond also, so the trip was easy and uneventful.  The entrance to the Alligator River had always posed a bit of a problem with ever-changing water depths and the recommendations have always been to ignore your paper or electronic charts and follow the markers.  Well, we followed the markers carefully, but I also kept an eye on the "magenta line" that indicates the course of the ICW and for once they agreed!  No wind, little traffic and nothing to look at on the way down the Alligator River and true to form no cell signal when we reached the bottom.  We anchored in a different spot from previous trips, but the scenery was the same...

Sunrise had us weighing anchor and heading on...even on the Alligator, sunrises are pretty.

Not a lot of traffic today, we were overtaken and passed by a few snow birds going a bit faster, and we actually did pass a few slower sailboats ourselves.  We did see this river otter swimming furiously to get across the Alligator-Pungo Canal.  The fishing boats at the R.E. Mayo Co. were all hunkered down for the night by the time we passed them on our way across the Bay River to our current resting spot on Bonner Bay, just two miles off the magenta line. Granted, we are dealing with a very calm evening with whatever wind we get will be from the east, but - -what a lovely spot.  Guide books have you going further up the Bay into any of the three creeks that give even more shelter.   

Today was warm enough that we decided to open the "back door", or more accurately the aft panels, of our enclosure and also the front panel of the dodger and enjoyed the fresh air.  The only "breeze" was caused by our 6.2 knots of speed.  

Tomorrow we head for River Dunes-the home of the best showers on the east coast, and a very friendly spot all around.  

~~~_/)~~~M&D

Elizabeth City, NC

Frugal spot #3!  We have been to Elizabeth City twice before, but have anchored north of the bridge mostly due to the wind direction at the downtown docks.  The city maintains 26 free slips for transient boats and the whole town seems to welcome the "boat people" that pass through each fall and spring.  We decided to try the slips as the wind was forecast to be next to nothing and from the "safe"  direction anyways.  We arrived a little after two and had time to kibitz with the other travelers who were already here and to walk 1.3 miles to the Napa store (and back) to buy an extra engine belt.  We also gathered with about a dozen of our newest boating friends for drinks this evening under a tent that Elizabeth City maintains for their Monday-Friday "wine and roses" evening greeting for boaters.

The day started quietly at the Welcome center - not a breath of air and lovely (if not all that warm) sunshine.  Dan walked across the foot bridge to the far side of the canal to get the top picture. I liked the still reflection of the water and the mile marker reminding us we have 750 miles to go until we reach St. Augustine.  Dan enjoyed the warmth of the sun in the enclosed cockpit to study the guide books for todays trip.

We agreed with Marie Lune (the only other boat at the center) to leave together so the footbridge tender would only need to make one opening.   We offered to go first but our French Canadian friends said they'd take the lead.  We were happy they did as we were only a mile down the canal when they alerted us to a submerged log that they had dealt with.  We were able to slide by it without any thumps.  

At one point yesterday the tachometer dropped to zero.  Dan rushed below and checked several things and decided it was the belt.  As things were very quiet (no traffic to worry about) we shut down the engine and coasted while he changed the belt.  We thought all was well...but...   as we headed out this morning the belt began to slip (and smell very hot)  so we coasted again while Dan tightened it tighter than he has ever done before and it seems to be fine now.

Top: The footbridge opened for us as we left the Welcome Center. We then followed Marie Lune, a 49' Meridian, up to the drawbridge/lock combo at South Mills.  We misunderstood the timing and had over half an hour of milling about (without any room for milling about) for the bridge to open and let us into the lock.   I got a kick of the plants growing on the gate of the lock.  It was an 8' drop to the Pasquotank River.  The trip down the River was just as idyllic as the Dismal Swamp and we lazed along to Elizabeth City.  

The little blue arrow point to Brunelle nestled in comfortably for the night.

After our gathering ashore this evening we had dinner aboard and worked with our son Sam to see if we could get set up to have our progress be displayed on the blog in real time.  The wizard that he is... we think were are all set, of course that doesn't take into consideration that we are heading into the notoriously "dead" zone, especially for AT&T.  "Can you hear (see) me now??"

We aren't dreading our trip across the Albemarle Sound as the weather predictions are for light SW winds....we'll see.  ~~_/)~~~M&D