Wide water and Narrow water

So over the last few days, we've covered some wide waters (Chesapeake and Delaware Bays), and some narrow waters (C&D canal and NJ ICW).

Last Friday we left Solomons MD at 0815, after taking on 100 gallons of diesel (@ $2.65/gal) and topping off the water tank. It was a nice calm day on the Chesapeake and we made our goal of Queenstown MD, some 55 miles farther up the Bay, in time for a walk around the lovely town.

Saturday was the perfect cruising day: calm waters, warm & sunny, and favorable currents, and we had made the top of the Chesapeake (Chesapeake City, at the entrance to the C&D Canal) by 1400 hr, and instead of dropping anchor as planned, we kept going, across the C&D, and nearly half way down Delaware Bay before finally pulling into the Cohansey River in NJ to anchor for the night. It was tough to find a spot to land Riggs for 'necessities', but we managed. Totals for Saturday: about 90 miles traveled over 11 1/2 hours. A record for the entire cruise.

On Sunday we got an early start out into the lower Delaware Bay, but soon the current and wind turned against us, and it was a rough ride down to Cape May, where we entered the protected waters of the NJ ICW, and traveled a mere 6 miles before dropping anchor in Sunset Lake. At least we were able to dinghy ashore to a park to play ball.

Today was a grueling day. The NJ ICW has not been maintained well, and has some shoaling issues. Fortunately we've hit a time where high tide is mid-day, so morning travel is on a rising tide, and there is extra depth for mid-day travel. But when we pulled anchor at 0800 hr, the tide was still low, and we had barely traveled a mile north before we ran aground. We we right in the channel too. With the rising tide we waited maybe 20 minutes and were able to back off and resume travel, and made maybe 300 yards before running aground again! Fortunately, the bottom here is typically soft mud, plus Spray has a deep skeg that protects the propeller, so a little patience is all it takes. As the tide rose, we had one more bump on the bottom, and some scary depthfinder readings, but we did OK.

Until the bridges. Just before reaching Atlantic City, there are 4 drawbridges to deal with. The first one, Dorset Avenue, was being worked on when we arrived, and we had to 'hover' for 20 minutes before the crew could be moved aside, and one span lifted for us to get through. The next bridge went OK, then we again waited 20 minutes for a RR bridge to open (they had a train coming through - the nerve!). The last bridge went OK and we were free to pull into the'Brigantine' anchorage overlooking th Atlantic City hotels.

You just might remember that we were stuck in this anchorage for 5 nights back in October while two nor'easters passed through. Well, when we dropped anchor today we had strong, warm SW winds (30+ knots) to deal with. It made for a hairy dinghy ride to a beach for Riggs, but has since calmed down.

We are moving north faster than does the boating season. In the lower Chesapeake we were about a week ahead of the beginning of the boating season. Here we are about a month ahead. So today we saw maybe 4 other boats, and are the only boat anchored here.

Tomorrow we fight our way another 40 miles up the NJ ICW. Stay tuned!

Working our way up the Chesapeake

And work it can be. Chesapeake Bay is a bit over 200 miles long. We entered it at the south end on Monday morning, after leaving Hampton Creek near Norfolk. 4 days later we're only a bit more than half way up the Bay, due to strong NW winds that are conspiring against us.

Actually, on Monday the winds were gentle, and we made good time, traveling about 50 miles to anchor in protected Jackson Creek, at the mouth of the Piankatank River (west side of Ches.), and near the town of Deltaville VA. Monday was sunny so we (Riggs and I) spent the day on Spray's flying bridge. A couple hours after we dropped anchor, Margaret & Bob aboard GB32 'Thumper' dropped the hook right next to us. We had shared a dock with them back in Oriental NC (see earlier blog).

For Tuesday the NWS was predicting strong NW winds, and we woke to those and so decided to hang in Jackson Creek for another night. We took a long walk to Schroeders Boatyard in Deltaville, to see if sailboat 'Heron' with skipper Don had pulled in yet. We had shared anchorage with Heron 3 times in NC and knew that Don's goal was Schroeders for storing Heron for the summer. After a 3 mile walk we arrive to find that Don had just pulled in 30 minutes earlier. I helped him pull his foresail off Heron and he gave Riggs and I a ride back to Spray. We had supper that evening at a restaurant and found that 'Thumper's crew was there too.

So Tuesday was a fun day, but the strong NW winds that started the day fizzled before noon. It would have been an easy day to make some progress up the Bay.

For Wednesday the NWS was again predicting strong NW winds, but I wasn't to be fooled twice. We left safe, protected Jackson Creek at 7 am and headed up the Bay. Ooops! This time the NWS was right. In fact they understated the wind strength. We had 3 hours of 25-35 knot winds and nasty 3-4' waves, thankfully mostly off Spray's bow, before we headed up Cockrell Creek to the town of Reedville VA. We had only made 15 miles of progress but were glad when the hook was set. Reedville has some beautiful old homes, probably funded by the menhaden fishery - a good size fishing fleet and a (at times) real stinky menhaden processing plant (think fertilizer, fish oil, etc) are just south of town.

For today the NWS was again predicting NW winds, and today's travel started with crossing the 8-mile-wide mouth of the Potomac River, which has a looong NW fetch as it empties into the Chesapeake. Our strategy was to get moving early, before the winds built up, so we were moving before 7 am. This might have helped a bit, but only a bit. The rollers coming down the Potomac and crashing into Spray's port bow were impressive.

Spray is a great boat. She lived up to her name, with every external inch of her covered in salt spray both yesterday and again today, and she rocked and rolled, but she never hiccupped and got us safely through. Riggs too handled the nasty conditions like the World's Best Boat Dog that he is, mostly sleeping through it all on the helm seat (I stand in these conditions).

After crossing the Potomac, we passed Point Lookout and hugged the west shore as best we could, and the rest of the day's trip was easy enough. We're now anchored in the boater's mecca of Solomons MD and have done some exploring and grocery shopping.

Tomorrow, if you can believe NWS, should have great cruising weather: moderate SW winds and 80 degrees. We'll get some fuel and water, and then try to get 50-60 miles farther north. Stay tuned.

Ready for the Chesapeake

What a change in surroundings over the last two days, and what a variety of experiences.

Saturday morning we were at one of the free slips in Elizabeth City NC (ICW mile 51). Riggs did some ball chasing, then I did some grocery shopping (at a CVS store of all places). We shoved off at about noon and headed up the Pasquotank River, through Turners Cut, and were at the South Mills Lock in time for the 3:30 lock-thru, which lifted Spray by 8 feet and put us in the Dismal Swamp Canal. Only 4 miles later we (and a sailboat we locked-thru with) tied up at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center (ICW mile 28) for the night.

A few minutes later a fella walks up and invites us all to an outdoor dinner being held there to celebrate the 80th birthday of a man named George Ramsey, who has much history with the canal. What a great time! Some 75 of his friends & relatives were there, several of whom work either at the Visitors Center or for the Corps of Engineers. Several people spoke in admiration of George, and there were some great jokes. It was a canal-fest and it was catered southern style with fried chicken, BBQ pork, hushpuppies, many salads, and of course, sweet tea.

This morning we set off about 8 am and had a liesurely 17 mile ride to the Deep Creek Lock, at the northern end of the canal (ICW mile 11). We locked through at 11 am and dropped 8 feet, back to sea level. In a few miles we were in super-busy Norfolk VA (ICW mile 0!!). We worked our way out to the Hampton Roads shipway, dodging th big traffic (below) and finally tucking up the Hampton River, where we are anchored right off downtown Hampton VA. Sowe're poised to enter the Chesapeake tomorrow and work our way north. Stay tuned!

Cruising the Outer Banks

Tonight we are tied to one of the free slips in Elizabeth City NC, ready to head up the Dismal Swamp Canal, either tomorrow or Sunday, and then into Chesapeake Bay.

We were here back in November, with Dave Wyman aboard, and stayed 2 nights. We then spent several days exploring the western reaches of Abermarle and Pamlico Sounds. So when Riggs and I left Oriental NC (ICW mile 182) this past Wednesday we aimed Spray off the ICW, towards the eastern waters behind the narrow barrier islands that are the Outer Banks of NC.

Our first stop was Ocracoke NC, about a 40 mile cruise from Oriental, over wide-but-shallow waters that are typical here. We anchored in the Silver Lake anchorage and went ashore to walk around the island, which is accessible only by boat (including car ferries) or air. It was a bit touristy but still pre-season.

On Thursday we made a long run (60 miles or so) up Pamlico Sound to Roanoke Island and the town of Manteo. We liked this town better, with its nice waterfront park. Its probably very busy in summer but this time of year it was quite nice.

Today the NWS web site predicted 5-10 knot west winds on Abermarle Sound with 1 ft waves so we headed out to find 20 knot winds and 4 foot waves, fortunately on our nose so still tolerable. But it was a long bouncy run of 45 miles into the Pasquotank River and up to Elizabeth City (back on the ICW at mile 51). Now we have light SE winds that are making for a somewhat bouncy night in the slip. We originally planned 2 nights here but the winds are supposed to increase tomorrow so maybe we'll cruise upriver a bit and drop anchor. Stay tuned.

And now we slow down a bit

Hello from Oriental NC, a very boater friendly, dog friendly, and just plain friendly small town on the Neuse River. We arrived here yesterday and we're still here for a 2nd night. Why? Can you say 'Free Dock'?

Yes, we're in the very hospitable 'Sounds' are of eastern NC, where Dave Wyman and I explored some of back in November. This area has welcoming towns that often provide free dockage to cruisers, and Oriental has a single finger pier for this, providing coveted free docking space to two boats. When we came here in November, the dock was full so we anchored up in nearby Greens Creek. This time we were luckier, as I'll explain below.

We started yesterday in Swansboro (ICW mile 229), lifting anchor at 7:30 or so, heading up Bogue Sound to Beaufort NC (mile 204), then turning inland up Adams Creek to the Neuse River and Oriental (mile 181). There happens to be a webcam that points at Oriental's free dock, and I could access that as we approached and see that one side of the dock was open (and at the other side was a boat that looked like Spray's twin). It was great to know ahead of time that I'd be doing a port-side-tieup so I could get the fenders and lines ready, and by 2 pm we were tied up in the heart of Oriental. Our neighbors, Bob and Margaret from CT had arrived just a bit before on their 1988 GB32 'Thumper', which they keep in beautiful condition. In the pic above, that's Spray on the left and Thumper on the right. Across the street is coffee shop 'The Bean' (below), the nerve center of town and a great place to hang out.

There is a 48 hour limit on the dock here, so tomorrow we'll shove off. Since Dave and I explored the western reaches of these sounds, I think now we'll look at the eastern areas, beginning with the town of Ocracoke NC, which is out on the outer banks barrier islands, and reportedly has a good anchorage. This area apparently has poor ATT coverage, so I'll have to report on it when I'm back in civilization. Stay tuned.

The 50+ mile/day club

We're in lovely Swansboro NC (ICW mile 229), where we visited early last December. I've got to like a town that has apparently named a street after me (above). I wonder who the William Main person is.

Its a bit odd. Back in December it was freezing cold yet we averaged maybe 30 miles/day as we cruised south in this region. Now its a beautiful spring, the weather is great, and we race through the region, often covering in a day what you could drive in an whole hour, 50 or 60 miles or more. You would think we would have raced south to the warmer temps, and dally on the way north to savor the spring.

It must be that on our way south it was all brand new, and we had to explore each town more. Plus the days were pretty short then. Now its all familiar (well, vaguely), and the days are long, and we've been away from home for almost 7 months, so lets keep moving.

And moving is what we've been doing. Here are our travels since Tuesday:

- Wednesday we left Beaufort SC (ICW mile 536) and traveled 65 miles to the Wappoo Creek anchorage (mile 471), just west of Charleston SC. That was a long day. Riggs played ball chase at a nearby boat ramp.

-Thursday we crossed Charleston Harbor, and up the ICW to Georgetown SC (mile 403), for an even longer 68 mile day. As we walked around charming Georgetown (ignoring the huge paper mill) we were surprised to stumble onto a Tea-Party rally. Riggs barked whenever a speaker told a lie.

- Friday night we anchored in Calabash Creek, just below the SC/NC border at ICW mile 342. We had an interesting time running aground in the creek before finally finding enough water to anchor in.

- Saturday we made it to busy Wrightsville Beach NC (mile 283). The boating season here is well under way and on a nice Saturday the boat traffic was crazy. On shore there were hundreds of college kids. Is it still spring break?

- Today we moved another 54 miles to here in Swansboro. Upon pulling in we stopped at Casper's Marina and bought 120 gallons of diesel ($2.50/gal plus 7% tax) and filled the water tank.

As I write this I'm dealing with a dragging anchor. The bottom here is apparently not very anchor-friendly and the tidal currents are significant. Its all part of the fun of cruising!

Tomorrow: Through Beaufort NC and hopefully inland to Oriental NC. Stay tuned:

Out of FL, through GA, and into SC

Maine is beckoning, so we are making continuous progress to the northeast. The weather has been perfect, the ICW is curvy and shallow in spots, and the tidal currents are a pain. Dealing with the currents reminds me of bicycle riding: you notice the uphill runs more than the downhills.

Since last report in Fernadina Beach FL, we've made these daily journeys:

- Last Friday we bought 100 gallons of diesel at the Florida Petroleum dock ($2.89/gal, ICW mile 716), crossed into GA, and made an easy run up the inside of Cumberland Island to anchor off of the Plum Orchard estate (mile ~ 700). We had a nice time walking the estate grounds then crossing the island to the Atlantic beach.

- On Saturday we made a long run up to the Duplin River anchorage (mile 649), where we could walk around the southern end of Sapelo Island.

- On Sunday we meandered the GA ICW to end up at remote Queen Bess Creek, off of Bear Island (mile 606). It was tricky to land Riggs for his business there but we made do (actually he did).

- Yesterday we complete the GA section, crossed the Savannah River into SC, and anchored in the New River (mile 570), off of Dafuskie Landing. We had a nice supper at Marshside Mama's cafe, which is as casual a restaurant as you'll ever find.

- Today we ended up anchored off of beautiful Beaufort SC (mile 536). The great weather is still here and we enjoyed walking the town, and picked up some groceries.

Tomorrow should get us close to Charleston SC. Stay tuned.