Dreamtime Sailing

7 November 2016 – Dowry Creek to River Dunes/Grace Harbor, NC

   We woke to another beautiful sunrise.

Our exit from the slip was definitely not pretty, with the wind pushing us around a bit we played bumper cars with a few different pilings.  But we did get out and did no damage.

It was a cold clear day with a brisk 10 – 15 knot wind blowing on the beam or from astern and some choppy water.

We were headed to River Dunes Marina in Grace Harbor but weren’t sure if we wanted to stay for one or two nights — we would ponder and make the decision as we travel.

We rolled out the staysail for some motorsailing.  After a jibe, (when the sail swings to the other side of the boat) we notice the sail looking a bit funny.  From the cockpit it takes a while to notice a thread is attached to the starboard pulpit stanchion running to the sail now on the port side of the boat.

Bob moved forward to investigate and found the thread to have gotten caught on a cotter ring on the life line where it attaches to the stanchion and endeavored to free it.  Without his knife in hand, Bob had to cut the thread from both ends with his teeth to free it.

Just like with a loose thread on a piece of clothing, when this thread got caught and pulled, it unraveled part of the hem of the foot of the sail.

Looks like we will have a sewing project in our future.  Guess the staysail made the decision for us – we will stay two nights at River Dunes – nice that we have BOGO coupon.

The choppy water made for a bouncy rolly afternoon as we turned toward the creek to the marina.  But we arrived safe and sound and planned our repairs for the next day.

6 November 2016  – Alligator River Marina – Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC

We were up and on our way early today as the time change brings sunrise an hour earlier.

The wide Alligator river was calm this morning as made our way down.

We then made the turn in to the more narrow Alligator Pungo Canal connecting the two rivers.

Many folks have asked us if we have seen many new hazards due to last month’s hurricane (Matthew).  On the radio today we heard about multiple sightings of non-moving pilings or logs in the channel further down the way.  The navigation app we use also reported a new large pole sticking out of the water inside the channel.  We kept our eyes open and sure enough there it was off to the side, but still in the channel, and a definite hazard for the unwary.
It was during this portion of the trip last year that we had seen a deer swimming across the canal.  Amazingly again today at about the exact same spot a young deer swam across from one shore to the other in front of us.  Once it got to the other side it shook its coat dry, much like a dog does, and proceeded to prance up and down the shore apparently having fun.  (A half hour later boats behind us talked about seeing a stag do the same — now that would have been a sight.)

It was a quiet and peaceful day on the water.

We always seem to get the same slip at Dowry Creek Marina, always seem to arrive when the wind picks up, but with excellent dockhands assisting, we were safely tied in our slip without incident and enjoyed the peaceful sunset.

5 November 2016 – Coinjock

We woke up to a very calm morning, and actually left the dock 2 hours before our scheduled departure to take advantage of the calm.

Meandering down the North River we enjoyed a quiet morning as the winds began to pick up.

After leaving the river and entering the sound we unfurled the staysail (the middle foresail) to motorsail and pick up a half knot of speed with the wind from our stern.

One of the reasons we really didn’t want to travel yesterday with the wind was because we were going to be crossing the Albermarle Sound which is a big, wide, long but shallow sound usually around 15 feet of depth.  Big wind can create big uncomfortably choppy waves in this sound.
Today the wind grew and became a following wind of 10 – 15 mph with occasional gusts of 20 mph.  This did indeed cause the water to be choppy and sloppy, creating alot of rolling and pitching motion on the boat.

It was a clear and sunny day and to be honest we really didn’t have much to complain about.

04 November 2016 – Coinjock, NC

Sometimes you just know you made the right decision, and today was one of those days.

We had decided to stay tied up at Coinjock Marina (and Restaurant) one more day due to forecasted high winds.  True to the forecast, the wind howled all day long.  You can see in this brief video how the current in this usually calm waterway is being affected by the wind.

You also have confirmation you made the right decision when most of the delivery skippers also opted to stay one more day to wait out the wind.

Here’s hoping tomorrow is calmer and we can keep on going.

3 November, 2016 – Great Bridge, VA – Coinjock, NC

After yesterday’s frustrations and a good night of sleep we left Great Bridge, ready to continue our journey south.

Today we had 2 bridges with timed openings — The first was less than 3 miles from our marina and the next one was 5 miles further.  We left the marina a wee bit earlier than we needed to, and arrived at the first bridge 20 minutes before the scheduled first opening at 0830.

We were the first to arrive and behind us was a parade of power boats.  A half mile before the bridge we moved toward the side of the waterway and let the power boats pass by – saving us and them the hassle of having to pass us after the bridge.  We’re getting smarter.

Once we were through that bridge we calculated our speed so we could plan to arrive at the next bridge before the next opening but not have to wait for long.  The parade of boats seemed to be going a bit faster than we planned, but we kept with the flow.  As we made the final turn we backed down the engine so we could maintain momentum but not rush to the bridge and have to wait and mill around with the other boats.  We had 15 minutes before the scheduled opening.  And then we heard on the radio that the bridge was doing a special opening to clear the boat traffic for the boats that were approaching, if we could bet there quickly.  We radioed the bridge to say we were on our way, and putting the pedal to the metal.

We ramped up our speed and slid through the narrow opening as only one side of this swing bridge is operational still since the damage done by a tug running into last year.   Just after we cleared, the bridge closed leaving one boat behind who would have to wait for the scheduled opening in 10 minutes.  We thanked the bridge tender for the special opening and appreciated the consideration – this made up for some of the frustration from yesterday.

The next few hours we enjoyed a quiet and peaceful meandering down the North Landing River and Currituck Sound.

Another amazing thing that happened today you just don’t hear about…. as we were approaching the marina we knew that they were getting busy with boats needing fuel.  Lots of motor yachts means lots of time to refuel (motor yachts take on hundreds of gallons at a time, and we’ll need maybe 24 gallons – quite a difference).  

Wednesday, 2 November, 2016 – Hampton, VA – Great Bridge (Chesapeake), VA

Somedays it’s all about timing, and today our’s sucked.

We started what we expected to be a pretty easy day leaving Hampton along with many of the boats starting the Salty Dawg rally to the Caribbean.  As we left the Hampton River they turned left to go out to sea, and we turned right into Hampton Roads and the busy port.

There are many times we are thankful we transmit on AIS (Automatic Identification System – an automatic tracking system used for identifying and locating vessels).  Today was no exception when a very heavily laden cargo container ship hailed us by name as they were entering the busy shipping channel requesting we move outside the channel markers so they would have room to maneuver.  We had no problem obliging.

This buoy marks the beginning of our first leg southbound on the ICW (IntraCoastal Waterway) again.  And here we go…..

Today’s route would take us under a railroad bridge that is “usually open”, immediately followed by a high bridge we don’t have to worry about, immediately followed by another railroad bridge that is “usually open”, followed by a bascule bridge that opens on request immediately followed by another railroad bridge that is “usually open”.  An hour further down the waterway we would be expecting to enter a lock, wait there for 15 minutes if our schedule held and then one more bridge that only opens on the hour before we arrive at our marina for the night.  We originally planned to arrive at our marina by 1400, but leaving a little earlier than planned this morning and making better time than expected, we realized that it was just possible that we could make the 1300 bridge opening and thus get to the marina an hour earlier.

As we approached the first railroad bridge, we noticed the second railroad bridge starting to go down – bummer, hopefully it won’t be down for long.

We milled around the bridge with a handful of other boats, and waited…..and waited…..and waited.  We noticed the 1st railroad bridge going down now and we felt trapped between two bridges, with no where to go, even if we wanted to. 

We continued to wait, as we heard on the radio they were making repairs and the  bridge would go up shortly…and we waited.  It was about an hour before that bridge finally went up.

Just a bit frustrating, if we had gotten there 10 minutes earlier we would have missed this delay.

Now the parade of boats made its way to the Gilmerton bascule bridge.  When we radioed to let them know we were approaching and requesting an opening we were told that the next railroad bridge was currently closed (WHAT?!?!?) and they would open when the railroad bridge opened.  At least there was a train on this bridge, and a good reason for it to be closed.  But, it was a looooooooooong train, so we waited probably another 10 minutes.

Once through those two bridges, we survived the onslaught of power boat wakes as they rushed to get ahead of each other to make it to the next lock opening.

Finally, we were on the move and having a peaceful trip to the Great Bridge Lock, adjusting our speed for the distance to be travelled in order to make the lock opening without having to wait – we were soon to learn that was a wasted effort.

As we rounded the corner we saw a slew of boats waiting outside the lock and no apparent movement.  The lock should have been open and receiving boats but his time, but nothing was going on.  We radioed ahead to a boat we met last evening in Hampton, who was closer to the front, and asked what they saw and what was going on.  That was when we learned that a “red flag” tug was taking up the lock.  (We had plenty of time to research and figure out what a “red flag” tug meant — it means it was carrying hazardous/dangerous materials – guess they didn’t want to mix that with the rest of us.)  We would have to wait yet another hour before we could enter the lock.  Unbelievable!  By this point, every boat in the area was very frustrated as they have all encountered these same delays.

You must also realize that “waiting” on a boat, is not the same as waiting in a car on land.  It is not as easy as having your foot on the brake, or putting the transmission into Park to wait.  No…. even with the engine in neutral, a boat moves, being pushed by the current and by the wind.  So staying in place for an hour at a time, actually takes effort.  Kudos to Bob.

We eventually entered the lock and got tied up waited again for the lock to close and open.  All the frustrated boats then pushed their ways to the front of the line to wait yet again for the Great Bridge Bridge to open on the hour.  We passed under, radioed the marina, and got safely tied to our slip for the night ready for a beer and a wine.

We do realize that today could have been a LOT worse.  It could have been cold, foggy or rainy with no visibility, with strong wind or current pushing us (and all the other boats) around as we waited.  But instead, today was a warm, sunny and calm day and all that happened was that we had to deal with 2 hours of delays and lots of waiting.  We liken it to a bad commute on the road, but heck, we have to admit it is alot better than having to deal with a commute to go to work, so we can’t really complain.

But what a difference 10 minutes would have made this morning!

We have been planning to avoid much of the ICW by doing a number off shore passages to make our way south this year.  Today was a good reminder and motivator for us to keep with this plan.

Tuesday – 1 November – Deltaville, VA – Hampton, VA

We always leave Deltaville at first light because of the long transit expected for the next day.  Our reward for getting up and getting going so early was a beautiful morning sky.

Our second reward was that the higher sky was overcast so we didn’t have to be blinded by the sun as we left the channel, looking for markers.

The unfortunate part was we didn’t see the sun for the rest of the day.

As predicted, the wind was light, unfortunately too light to get any benefit from raising the sail, and the water was flat, but, overall the day was enjoyable.

These are some of the vessels sharing the water today…..two very different extremes…

 
We arrived in Hampton without incident and docked with a bit less drama than last year… we must be learning something!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the same restaurant as last year – it is amazing how we are repeating ourselves without intention.

There are two routes for the next portion from here, but the  Dismal Swamp is still closed due to the effects of the Hurricane Matthew from last month, so we will be going to Great Bridge (Chesapeake), Virginia tomorrow.

Sunday – 30 October – Point Lookout Marina – Deltaville, VA

The restaurant last evening at Point Lookout Marina did not disappoint as we shared a delightful meal, enjoying a lovely evening and sunset.

This morning’s sky was beautiful.

We were up and on our way before the sun had cleared the horizon.

We raised the main sail and sat back to enjoy a most relaxing 8 hours motorsailing on a wide portion of the Chesapeake Bay where there were few other boats, no hazards, no markers and no shoaling to be concerned about.

This is the life!

We let the auto pilot take us away uneventfully out of Maryland to Deltaville, Virginia.

We always plan for Deltaville to be a one night stop, but due to weather on our previous two visits we found ourselves having to stay for an extra night or two.

To our amazement this visit proved to be no different.  When we checked the forecast after we arrived we learned that winds tomorrow are forecast to be 20 – 25 knots with gusts up to 30 resulting in 4 foot waves (large for the Bay) with 3 second intervals which would not be a very comfortable ride.

So, being in no particular hurry to get anywhere, we saw no reason to put ourselves through that discomfort and decided to wait a day to continue our journey when the wind would be quieter, the water smoother, and hopefully it would be a more enjoyable day.

Saturday 30 October 2016

Weather forecasts can be right sometimes, and true to the predictions, the wind howled for two days as we stayed put in Solomons Island and enjoyed some excellent restaurants.

This morning we pushed off the dock before the sun was above the horizon and followed the parade of like minded cruisers heading south for the winter.  Unfortunately, the wind was coming from the south and no sails were raised all day.  But, the sun was out and the water was calm and it was a very peaceful day with no complaints.

We debated where we should plan to spend the night.  Our original plan was for a 6 hour day going a bit out of our way to Point Lookout Marina which means basically over an hour of backtracking tomorrow, or to plow through and make it a 10 hour day and stop in Deltaville.

The final decision was for the shorter day to Point Lookout Marina where we will look forward to what we hear is a fabulous restaurant that was closed when we were here in the Spring.  Bon Apetit.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

If the sun is rising on the port side it means we’re heading south….yay!

We left Herrington Harbour and continued our way to Solomons Island.

Tomorrow and even Friday are forecast to have strong winds from the south with small craft advisories each day which really doesn’t sound pleasant, so we realize we may be staying in Solomons for a couple of days.

We are following the sage advice of others and have no set schedule.   Although the morning temperatures are a bit chillier than we would like, we aren’t in any great hurry to get anywhere in particular and don’t feel the need to push it too hard if we don’t want to.

Today was a gorgeous day.  We raised the main sail and motor sailed most of the 6 hours.