Back In Familiar Beaufort

Beaufort to Beaufort  |  1 Hour  |  5.5 Miles   

After five straight days of early departures and long days, things fell into place and we were able to take the morning off. First off, it was just plain cold. Ice had formed on the finger pier where the marina had left a hose dripping. The wind was still a concern, but was supposed to calm later in the day. High tide was to occur at 11:40. We only had to travel one hour to our next (and very familiar) destination of Town Creek Marina. We did make good use of those extra hours of free time. I was thankful for the opportunity to pull out the yoga mat and do some stretching. Barry and I both did a little straightening up and cleaning ... and dozed off while watching Wicked one more time. Barry called the marina and got our slip assignment then we had lunch. At noon we pulled straight out of our slip by the travelift and were on our way, following a shrimp boat toward Beaufort Inlet. The gulls and pelicans circled Crossroads thinking we were also a fishing boat loaded with treats. A few turns later we entered Town Creek where the familiar stiff Beaufort breeze blew us into our spot on the T-head. Cleaning continued through the afternoon and I even washed the salt spray from all of the windows.

We borrowed the marina's courtesy car and went to Front Street for dinner. I missed capturing the sunset under the bridge, but we returned in time to catch some of the evening's final glow. We're looking forward to brunch tomorrow with some dear friends. We will stay in Beaufort for a while before continuing our winter cruise. As of today, we have made it as far south as we did all of last year. Barry and I are both anxious to cast off and head out of Beaufort Inlet for points warmer and bluer. 

A Calm Day on the Neuse

Belhaven to Beaufort  |  8.5 Hours  |  52.8 Miles   

The quiet Belhaven anchorage provided us a peaceful and restful evening. Although the outside temperature was quite chilly, we were toasty inside and slept well. I was on deck as dawn broke. Thanks to increasing cloud cover, this morning's colors were the most vibrant we've seen on this trip. As expected, the anchor and chain were caked in mud and took some time to get cleaned up. My new snow pants kept me nice and warm (thank you, Santa). The good side of being on the bow is always having an unobstructed view of the sunrise. The feathery gray clouds added nice contrast to the solida orange at the horizon. 

Multiple species of waterfowl dotted our path through the Pungo River. The ducks didn't get much rest as they were either flying away from us or trying to avoid the hunters cleverly disguised in their blind, with decoys cast outward. We instinctively jumped every time we heard gunfire, not quite sure of the shooter's intended target or skill level.

Time passed quickly and soon we were cruising through Hobucken. The Coast Guard station was the first point of interest, although not interesting enough for me to go outside to take the photo. The resultant image was, however, more a comment on our salty windows that the two docked Coast Guard vessels. The reflection of the high rise bridge was interestingly distorted in our wake. Eight fishing boats were tied up along the entire length of the R.E. Mayo Seafood dock. 

It was an excellent travel day with very little wind and close to no waves. Pamlico Sound was enjoyed with a little warm sunshine, although the cloud cover was growing. The Neuse River was as docile as imaginable under thick clouds. We definitely lucked out with these conditions. The marine weather broadcast continually announced that gale warnings were in effect offshore for the entire state of North Carolina. 

We turned into Adams Creek and were greeted by several different pods of dolphin. At one point there were eight playing in our bow wave. We commented on houses we remembered from previous trips and on all the new construction taking place. Boat traffic of all sizes increased. We passed sailboats, and were passed by motor yachts, center consoles, and sport fishers. We held station for half an hour so a tug towing 1000-feet of dredge pipe could work its way through a bridge. Once clear of the tug, we arrived at Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay. Barry backed down the fairway into the same slip we occupied last year. We tied up and connected our electrical without assistance, so we tipped ourselves. High gusts are expected this evening, but we are well protected in the travelift basin. Something about this story is beginning to sound familiar ... 

Making Good Time

Coinjock to Belhaven  |  10.1 Hours  |  76.4 Miles   

The alarm sounded at 6:00 and we were feeling good about being on the deck at 6:30. We knew it was going to be a long day that would push the limits of daylight. Daggone it. Tom and Pat on Slip Away beat us off the dock. We said our "good mornings" across the water and watched as their beautiful 53-foot Selene passed by our position. It only took us about five minutes to free Crossroads from the dock and be on our way as well. Yesterday's gusty winds were gone and it was a calm and chilly morning. Without a cloud in the sky, there was no spectacular, awe-inspiring sunrise. Morning broke with a gentle glow-up that revealed dozens of cormorants floating in the reflections on the water's surface. 

The forecast for the Albemarle Sound was spot-on with wind from the west on our beam and two foot waves. The challenge for most of the day came from driving into the sun line. We were appreciative of the warming effect the sun created in the pilothouse, but were often frustrated from squinting and seeing spots. We found ourselves "battling" for the thin areas of shade provided by our windshield frames. It was welcome relief when we changed course even slightly. The wind and chop increased as we approached the Alligator River Bridge and we took a few sizable walls of water on the pilothouse windows. The bridge tender opened the swing span at the perfect moment, allowing us to pass right through. This bridge tender is historically the most accommodating on the ICW. Off to the side we could see the first pilings for the new high-rise bridge being built. It will replace this 65-year-old bridge that carries US 64 over the Alligator River, connecting the Outer Banks to the mainland.

After clearing the bridge we had one focus: pass Island Girl (a tug pushing a barge) before we reached the entrance to the narrow Alligator-Pungo Canal. Since we had a full load of diesel, Barry opened the throttle to about 90%. In deference to Space Balls, we joked that we had reached the "Ludicrous Speed" of 8.5 knots (approx 10 mph). We did in fact finally overtake the barge before entering the canal. We had an easy run right down the middle of the 21-mile long ditch. We exited with only a short distance to reach our destination of Belhaven. The sun was low in the sky, but not setting, as we dropped anchor in "our" spot. We had made good time. Tonight, the generator is running and pumping out the heat. It will be a chilly night and I'm already cold just thinking about bringing up the anchor in the morning. 

Note: Slip Away stayed out in front of us all day and pulled off into Dowry Creek Marina just shy of Belhaven. 

Finding Friends in Coinjock

Great Bridge to Coinjock  |  4.9 Hours  |  32 Miles   

Happy New Year, Everyone! We departed the courtesy dock in Chesapeake just as the sun rose over the trees. After a quick U-turn in front of the Great Bridge bridge, we had reached our first destination of the day -- the fuel dock at Atlantic Yacht Basin. Within 30 minutes we had topped off our tanks with 300 gallons of diesel and dropped our first B.O.A.T. Unit of 2025. The day was bright as we restarted and headed south down the ICW. Since today was a holiday, the Centerville Turnpike Bridge opened on demand as we approached.    

A short distance later we passed through the North Landing Bridge and had nothing but clear water in front of us for the rest of the day. We weaved our way through the quiet isolation of pine trees and wetland grasses without seeing another boat. Once in Currituck Sound the only boat we saw all day passed us (probably on its way to a fuel dock). This stretch of the ICW is very familiar to us. Without even looking at the chartbook, I now know that once we pass Marker 61 we have entered North Carolina. Again reinforcing the craziness of the past week, it was exactly one week ago that we crossed into North Carolina via Interstate 85 in our "sleigh" loaded with Christmas gifts. Today's winds were much stronger and we saw gusts to 30 knots as we crossed the Sound. Our stabilizers tamed the chop and we had a comfortable ride. The sound of gunfire echoeing across the water signaled that we were nearing Coinjock. We soon saw several camouflaged duck boats that charter out of Coinjock Marina. The landmark stump is a feature I always look forward to seeing. This year, it has the addition of a bird's nest in its upper branches. The flag in front of the Piney Island Lodge was showing the effects of the stiff breeze. Once in the cut, the wind diminished. I prepared the docklines and fenders as Barry brought Crossroads gently into the dock. Friends Pat and Tom welcomed us and helped tie us up. We took a short walk along the boardwalk and found the many poses of the decoys on the duck boats to be interesting.    

After a few hours of relaxing (and football watching) Barry decided he'd rather have Coinjock Marina's famous prime rib for dinner than the leftover chili and cornbread from last night. The sun was setting as the waxing crescent moon was doing the same. The combination of clear sky and the light wind made for a much cooler evening. Warm sunshine was still abundant in the restaurant, however, as Pat and Tom joined us for a beverage. It is always great to spend time with our Deltaville Selene friends. We will both depart tomorrow morning and cross the Albemarle Sound on our way further south.