Month: November 2015

Thursday – 05 November –

Knowing we would be having a longer day on the water today, we prepared for an early departure and left the breakwater of the marina at 0700.

We approached the Alligator River Bridge with the friendliest bridge tender so far.  When we told him we would see him in six months for our return, he told us they would “leave the lights on”.  This was our first swing bridge (so rather than going up it pivots around.)

With the sun out and the temperature warmer we both enjoyed shedding the fleece, taking off our shoes, and putting on short sleeved T-shirts.  We enjoyed meandering through the Alligator River Wildlife refuge on the Alligator River/Pongo River Canal.  We kept our eyes open for more bald eagles and bears, but didn’t see either.

But we did see a deer trying to swim across the waterway.  Neither of us even knew deer could swim!  A powerboat was trying to overtake us at the same time, and the deer thankfully realized it wasn’t safe to make the journey, so before crossing our bow, it turned around and paddled furiously back to shore and safely back up onto land.

We definitely enjoyed the changing landscape of the wetlands and woods.

Today was the first day that we really got to experience the “slow pass” maneuvers for overtaking boats.  Powerboats can go much faster than sailboats, but if they pass at high speed the sailboats they leave in their wake will be doing some major rocking and rolling.  Boating etiquette is that the overtaking vessel radio the boat to be overtaken and announce their intention to pass.  The boat being overtaken slows down, allowing the passing boat to pass, and the passing boat slows down to reduce the effect of the wake. It is amazing to see how much water the larger powerboats are pushing with their bows as they approach from behind and there were times we were just hoping they would slow down.  For the most part they all did, and the journey was quite enjoyable even with all the passing boats.

We opted for a quiet evening aboard in a quiet marina on Dowry Creek.  We were forced down below by the ravenous mosquitoes….who would have thought we would have to worry about mosquitoes in November?!?!?

Tomorrow we will continue our journey, hoping the weather forecasters are wrong and expect to arrive at River Dunes Marina for at least a two night stay….. we are very much looking forward to the steam showers we have heard about at this marina.

Wednesday – 04 November

We got an early start today leaving Elizabeth City before 7am.

A bit of trivia, the Coast Guard station here is the largest one in the country and we passed it as we were heading out.

We headed toward Alligator River.  With a good wind coming from the NorthEast It was a relatively short, uneventful and pleasant motor sail across the Albermale Sound, with the exception of having to be extremely vigilant watching out for the tons of crab pots throughout the journey.  We started contemplating not eating crab anymore because of the frustrations…but no, we’re not really ready to go there yet.

We had heard the Albermale Sound could be quite challenging in high winds and unpredictable current, but on this day none of that occurred.

We arrived at the unique but very nice Alligator River Marina which is basically a gas/petrol station, truck stop, and marina with a diner.  For what it is, the amenities are quite nice and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon and evening – sharing a crab cake sandwich and a shrimp burger with fries….yummy fried food!

This slower pace getting down the Waterway is something we are easily getting used to.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be a 7 or 8 hour trip to Dowry Creek, NC so it was early to bed and planning an early time to rise.

Monday, 2 November –

We woke up to rain, and it never stopped.  Our raft-mates all were early risers and and we were able to push off from the Visitor Center at 0715 to start making our way in what turned out to be a very curvy and at times narrow canal and river.

But first we would have to go through our second lock, the one that would drop us 8 feet to the next water level.  This second lock experience was pleasantly uneventful, and we are starting to feel more comfortable with the process.  With effective placement of fenders so the boat doesn’t have to touch the wall….. we used all 5 of our fenders and the wooden fender board Bob had crafted for the trip, we entered with no problem.  The water dropping under us was a bit more gentle than the filling the previous day.  When the lock was empty we pushed off the wall with the boat hooks as we started to move out.

As Bob steered along the canal and river Christina was on lookout (in the steady rain) for floating logs and other debris to avoid. Once we cleared a particularly curvy portion and the river opened up into a wide expanse of water, Bob told a deep breath of relief, and promptly hit 3 feet of water.  With our draft (the depth of the boat) being 5 feet this meant we had run aground.

Every cruising book talking about the going through the ICW say there are two types of sailors, those who have run aground and those that are not telling the truth.  

There was another sailboat following us, and they stayed around offering to assist us by towing us off the shallow portion, but thankfully we were able to get ourselves off without assistance by putting the boat in reverse and backing off – this took a bit of patience but eventually we were back in deeper water and on our way again.

Another draw bridge to request an opening from, and immediately to our right was the Elizabeth City Town Docks, where we decided to spend a couple free nights.  With the wind blowing us into the dock, Bob steered us backward into the slip.  The finger pier is even shorter than any we have encountered before, and once the boat was straight in the slip we saw that there was no way to step from the boat to the finger pier without superpowers.  Okay, time to adjust all the lines to inch the boat closer, while keeping the dinghy from scraping the wall  (The dinghy hangs from and sticks out from the stern) while making sure no other part of the boat is rubbing up against any pilings, etc.  After an hour or so making all these adjustments in the rain,  we were both soaked, even while wearing our foul weather gear.

With a prayer to the “dock gods”, and a leap of faith, we both were able to get on and off the boat without incident or more importantly without injury.

Elizabeth City is a small town with a lot of history.  Many businesses seem to be closed but with the recommendation of the Visitor Center we were able to find a restaurant that features Caribbean fare – (foreshadowing of meals in the future?), and we both enjoyed a more than generous serving of delicious roti (which lasted for a total of 3 meals each into the next few days.)

With everything so wet and with the upcoming weather forecasts for more rain we seriously were wondering if we would ever really feel dry again for a few months.

We planned to stay in Elizabeth City for another day, to do some boat chores, provision a bit, and enjoy the town’s hospitality.

On our off day, Christina took the opportunity to enjoy the local museum to learn more of the history of the area.  If you ever find yourself in Elizabeth City, we highly recommend a visit to this free museum – it was awesome.

There is a quirkiness to many of the locals of Elizabeth City, and one of them brings his pet monkey to the docks everyday.  We got to pet the monkey and a first for Christina was having a monkey climb up her body and explore her pockets (yes we mean pockets of clothing and purse).  He was a cutie…. we are now thinking about our next pet….but Bob will need some convincing.

Sunday, 1 November

Working backward from the time the Deep Creek Lock was scheduled to open, we determined what time would be best for departing the marina in Portsmouth without creating too much “wait” time.  We untied from the dock around 0815 making our way to the first bridge, Gilmerton Bridge.

We tried to take our time so we wouldn’t get through the bridge and to the lock too early and be forced  to mill around with many other boats waiting for the scheduled lock opening.

But, because so many boats were behind us at the bridge, the bridge tender waited until more boats arrived to the bridge which meant….. we were milling around the bridge with a few boats trying not to hit each other waiting for the bridge to open.  (oh well, the best laid plans…..)  But all went well with our first bridge opening and on we went.

A few miles down the Waterway we had the option of choosing Route 1 which carries a bit more commercial traffic or Route 2 through the Dismal Swamp which would be more scenic and quiet.  We chose Route 2 and made our way down the canal, leaving all evidence of industrial activity behind and enjoying the quiet serenity of the canal.

We were greeted by an American Bald Eagle sitting in a tree as we passed by.  Neither of us had seen a Bald Eagle for quite a long time, and enjoyed witnessing its splendor.

We approached the Deep Water Lock, again sooner than expected, and again milled around with the other boats.  We prepared our fenders and fender board for the wall, and waited.

The lock master opened the lock and all the boats proceeded in an orderly fashion.  As this lock is the low one, we had to hand our bow and stern lines up to the lock master high above us.  He secured them on bollards and we were instructed to hold our ends, and get ready to pull them in as we rise.

It was a process to get all 9 boats into the lock and secured.  But once done the lock master started the filling process, and more and more water started to flow under our keel, and the boat slowly lifted to be even with the land.  Once the lock was opened, the boats filed out in order and we pushed off the wall with our boat hooks, pulled our lines aboard, and headed down the canal.

We left the state of Virginia and entered North Carolina with a welcome sign posted.

We proceeded down the Dismal Swamp Canal and found the wall which is free of charge at the Dismal Swamp Visitor Center.  This dock is long enough for 3 or 4 boats to tie up alongside.  However, the normal practice is for boats to raft to each other and provide safe dockage for even more.  (Another first for us.)  As soon as we were secured to the dock on our port side, another sailboat pulled up alongside our starboard and used our cleats to tie up next to us.  Then another on their starboard side.  The same was true for the other two boats on the wall and by nightfall there were nine boats tied up with each other. 

The rain started falling and was not expected to stop for another day or two.  We settled in for the evening with a bowl of chili, and planned for the next day when we expected to arrive at Elizabeth City.

On Saturday, 31 October we made our way to Portsmouth, which was a very quick trip.  What could have been very busy traffic through the channel was very light this morning, and there were no dramas as we motored past the anchored Navy ships of all sorts and industrial operations.  (photos will be posted soon)

We were docked at Tide Water Marina, before we realized we were .3 miles past mile marker 0 marking the beginning of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and indicating the official end of the Chesapeake Bay.

We spent the next couple of hours doing boat chores, cleaning the deck, exploring the town and reviewing the charts and planning our transit times for the next couple of days.

Sunday will be a day of firsts for us….

– first drawbridge we have to request to open

–  first lock we have to go through – for those that don’t know, locks are used to lift or lower boats to from one level to another and are found on most canals.  The lock itself is a section closed off by gates where we will enter and tie up against the wall (or another boat that is tied up against the wall).  The lock controls the water level by flooding the dock or lowering the water.  Once the water level in the lock corresponds with the water level of the other side of the gate the gate opens and we pass on through.

– first potential for rafting – which is when one boat ties up to the dock and another boat ties up to the boat and potentially a third (or more) continue to tie to the outside boat.  This is done when there are more boats than space at a long dock.  

We don’t expect to have electricity the next 3 nights, so don’t worry if there are not any blog updates for a few days.