9 November 2016 – River Dunes – Moreheaad City, NC
Our destination for the day is Morehead City, NC which we know has especially strong current.
When we were making our reservation for the City Docks we were told by the dock master to try to plan to arrive around 3:30 during slack water because the slips are positioned perpendicular to the current making entry and exit a bit tricky when the current is running. (In reading reviews on the internet we learned watching the boats attempt docking is entertainment for the locals.)
But first, we navigated the rest of the Neuse River which is known for being choppy and unsettled, i.e. “nasty” as our cruising friends have said. Today was no different.
We had to beat into 15+ knot winds with gusts to over 20 as we went down the Neuse with water splashing over our bow.
We made the turn into a smaller creek and caught the current behind us. We were flying! With the engine running at low RPMs (less than 1800) we were moving along at over 6 miles per hour. There is no way to easily slow down and if we continue at this pace we will be arriving in Morehead City at the current’s peak. Oh well….
But silly us, we should have known we really didn’t have to worry too much because as we crossed an inlet the current instantly shifted and we suddenly were slowed down. Ramping up the RPMs to 2000 we were barely able to make it 5 MPH. The joy of currents on the ICW.
Morehead City Docks are managed by a different marina where there are fuel and pumpout facilities. We radioed ahead and with the assistance of 3 dockhands were secured to the fuel dock without incident. After paying for the fuel, the dock master and owner of this marina suggested we stayed tied to the fuel dock for 90 minutes and wait for slack water before making our way to the City Docks.
After waiting for a while the dock master offered to take us on a town tour and drive us to the marina so we can get familiarized with the layout and check out the status of the current. It was obvious he is quite proud of his city and told us alot about the interesting history of the area as he drove the few blocks, making us feel very welcome.
We returned to the boat, untied and made our way down the mile to the City Docks. Theoretically there should have been no current — but obviously slack water in this area lasts less than 10 minutes as we were already being pushed down river. Not wanting to be the source of the town’s entertainment, Bob adjusted his planned approach and did a great job angling the boat into the slip. As we had motored, the dock master had driven back down to the marina to catch our lines as we elegantly entered the slip, disappointing the onlookers on shore who were hoping for a better show.
Our next planned leg is to go off shore for a 24 hour passage to Bald Head island / Southport, NC.
Looking at the various weather forecasts it appears none of the models agree with each other, but Friday definitely doesn’t look good, and Saturday is forecast for big winds and big waves in the ocean. Possibly Sunday will be a good day to aim for. We will plan to enjoy the Morehead City hospitality and good restaurants for at least 3 or 4 days.
We are taking these days to watch other boats getting caught by the current and struggling to enter and exit their slips and are learning from their efforts some of what not to do when the time comes for us to depart.
Update: All those divergent forecasts have started to converge and it doesn’t look good. As we sit in Morehead City, listening to the cold wind howl on Saturday, we are seeing that although Sunday doesn’t look bad itself, Monday morning is looking pretty rough when we would be rounding Cape Fear with high winds, thunderstorms, etc. …. soooooo we might be here another couple of days and not leave until Tuesday. Stay tuned.