October 5, 2006 – Dismal Swamp Canal

We had a great stay in Solomons, seeing friends and reprovisioning for the rest of our trip south. We stayed thru Monday, using that day to get the leaking stuffing box repacked (luckily, Washburns Boat Yard had a couple of boats that didn’t show up as scheduled over the weekend), turn in the rental car, do laundry, clean up the boat, fill the water tanks, and eat another meal ashore. We walked to a small BBQ place across the highway from the Navy Recreation Center and on the way back after dark saw a huge fox sniffing around the camp ground – it ran away after looking at us for a few seconds.

We departed the marina about 0830 on Tuesday morning hoping to beat some forecast bad weather down the bay. We stopped at Deltaville, on the Piankatank River that night, and anchored for the night in a nicely protected harbor along with about eight sail boats.

We left the next morning (Wednesday) at 0800 for the York River and Yorktown to tour the battlefield. We arrived there in the early afternoon and tied up to a relatively new marina dock just east of the bridge over the river. After finally contacting the dockmaster and
paying our $5.00 to tie up for the afternoon, we stopped at Ben & Jerrys for a late lunch, then walked to the visitors center and saw a bit of the battlefield. Without a car it was impossible to see the entire area, but we got a good idea about the battle. We commented that we’d been in the area where the Revolutionary War started (Boston) and where it ended (Yorktown) on this trip! After we walked back to the boat, we motored across the river and into a little creek where we anchored for the night.

The forecast for Thursday (today) on Wednesday suggested that the Bay would be a bit rough with small craft warnings, but we decided to give it a try anyway and get as far as we could, stopping in the Norfolk area if need be. As it turned out, the waves never did get much over two feet, although we had an opposing current most of the way which slowed
our progress. We got to Norfolk early enough that we were able to make it through the bridges without too much delay and into the lock at Deep Creek on the north end of the Dismal Swamp Canal for the last lock-through – in fact I called the lock at about 1625 to tell them that we were peddling as fast as we could and asked if he could hold the lock
for us for 2-3 minutes beyond the normal 1630 lock time. He did, and we made it.

There is a storm out there in the Atlantic off Cape Hatteras which is going to be kicking up some wind the next couple of days, so we’re going to stay in the canal and the Elizabeth River until it passes. We’re currently tied to a dock used by a small cruise ship/boat which will be here tomorrow afternoon at 1330, so we might have to move; there may be
room for all of us – we’ll see tomorrow. There is a trimaran tied up at the very far end of the dock, and we’re tucked in next to the tri, so the cruise boat has plenty of dock space (we think). If we do have to move, we’ll try the visitor’s center about seven miles south, and if
there’s no room there, we’ll head out the south end of the canal and find an anchorage in the Elizabeth River. All the boats in this area are staying put until the winds pass – that means all the free docks are probably full, and the anchorages might be a little crowded! No matter what, we won’t be heading out onto the Albermarle Sound (south of
Elizabeth City and the Elizabeth River) until the wind dies down!

October 6, 2006 (Friday) – Dismal Swamp Canal
We’re staying put for a couple of days. The weather system off the coast is moving east, but another one is coming across the Appalachian Mountains which is going to kick things up enough that we won’t want to venture out onto the Albermarle Sound to the south of Elizabeth City. All the boaters from the Chesapeake through southern Virginia and
northern North Carolina are finding places to hold up for a few days rather than cross Albermarle Sound.

Here’s what Judy wrote in our ship’s log:
We awakened to the wind and rain that was anticipated. We made the decision to stay here until the storms have passed – this could be Sunday or Monday! We donned foul weather gear and took the dingy to a nearby shopping center [about a mile down the canal] to go to Food Lion. It did rain, but we sponged the water from the dingy and made it back to
Sanderling without mishap. We invited our dock “neighbors” over to Sanderling for happy hour about 1700. Guests included couples from the trimaran Ishmael; the Marine Trader [trawler] The Suzanne; and the small cruise ship Bonny Blue. We had a fun visit – many boating stories shared.

Earlier today, we had been invited aboard the Bonny Blue to ride from inside the lock to the dock where she made-up between Sanderling and Ishmael. A good day for visiting with friends – tied to a dock!

October 7, 2006 (Saturday) – Dismal Swamp Canal
We watched Bonny Blue take her 15 guests aboard then depart for Elizabeth City about 0900 – in a light rain. All the guests were happy and excited about their weekend voyage.

The three remaining couples walked to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

October 8, 2006 (Sunday) – Dismal Swamp Canal
Bonny Blue was due back at 1500, and two of us needed to get water, so
we pulled forward on the dock to the water bib just before “Ishmael.” We
were back in our original positions well before Bonny Blue returned –
guests departed, and all of us at the dock were invited aboard for a
“freezer party” – helping to eat up the remaining food – before the
cruise ship pulled out to get through the lock heading north at 1530.

The couple on Ishmael invited Judy and I and the couple from “The
Suzanne” to dinner aboard, then an evening of playing “Catch Phrase” – a
great after-dinner game! We ended the evening relatively early, as we
all planned to depart on Monday morning heading south.

October 9, 2006 – To Elizabeth City, North Carolina
All three boats at the north end of the Dismal Swamp Canal left the dock
a short while before the southbound boats locked through the northern
lock at 0900, in order to get through a low bridge a short distance from
the lock (the bridge we walked over to go to the Mexican Restaurant on
Saturday night). Ishmael and The Suzanne stopped at the North Carolina
welcome center about 18 miles through the canal, but Judy and I kept
going. We had to wait a little over an hour at the south end of the
canal for the 1400 opening, and then proceeded another 18 miles to
Elizabeth City. A short distance before Elizabeth City we hit a log in
the water which has evidently bent one of Sanderling’s propellers – we
now have an annoying vibration.

We arrived in Elizabeth City just in time for the wine and cheese party
hosted by “The Rose Buddies” – a group that has been welcoming transient
boaters to Elizabeth City for a number of years. The free town docks
were full of boats waiting for the weather to clear up on Albermarle Sound.

We ate an early dinner aboard, then went to the local dinner-movie
theater to see the new Jack Nicholson movie “The Departed.” Great movie
and a nice change of pace for us – we haven’t seen a movie in over three
months!

October 10, 2006 – To the Pungo River, North Carolina
We departed Elizabeth City at 0700 and found the Albermarle Sound to be
quite manageable, with waves about 1 to 2 feet on the northern side and
a good solid 2 feet on the southern side and down the Alligator River.

We travelled down the Alligator River and through the Alligator
River-Pungo River Canal, and are now anchored in a small, quiet bay at
the entrance to the Pungo River about seven miles from Bellhaven, North
Carolina.

Tomorrow we’ll cruise to Oriental, where I hope we can have our damaged
propeller repaired. We may end up there for a day or two for repairs,
but it is a nice city that we wanted to stop in anyway. After that, it’s
Beaufort, North Carolina, and Bogue Sound!

October 11, 2006 – Oriental, North Carolina
We slept in this morning and didn’t get underway until almost 0800! Only intended to get to Oriental, North Carolina, which was only about 50 miles from where we anchored last night, so there wasn’t any rush.

Weather was near perfect, although it was overcast most of the day, but very little wind on the Pamlico River and the Neuse River, both of which can get bad in a 15 knot wind.

We anchored in Smith Creek, just to the west of the town of Oriental, and rode the dingy to a free town dingy dock, then ate in one of the local restaurants near the dock. Searched for anything serving ice cream cones, but the only place in town that advertised ice cream seemed to be closed by 1900 when we walked by. Guess the ice cream will have to wait.

Tomorrow we plan to get underway at first light, and get as far as we can through Beaufort, North Carolina, to Mile Hammock Bay at the southwestern end of Bogue Sound. Wind is forecast to be out of the west/northwest, so we’ll be fairly well protected as we make our way westerly along the coast in the sound. We anticipate being in Mile Hammock Bay (a bay on the southern side of Camp Lejeune – a Marine Corps base) for several days as a cold front moves through with higher winds.

October 13, 2006 – North Carolina Beach

Our last email was from Oriental, North Carolina. Judy reminded me that
I had neglected to mention that although we still have an annoying
vibration from the engines, shafts, or props, we decided that it wasn’t
bad enough to have them checked for alignment issues. Consequently, we
departed Oriental the next day – Thursday, October 12th – at first light.

Our only concern for the day was Bogue Sound – a long body of water
running basically east-west from Beaufort, North Carolina to Swansboro.
Wind from the south can cause problems. When we turned the corner at
Beaufort to head west, the wind was around 15 knots from the west, but a
short distance into the route the wind started to clock to the
north-west, and the sound started curving to the south-west, so the wind
was blanketed by the shore and the water was fairly smooth.

We stopped at a marina right on the waterway in Swansboro for ice and
water, then continued on to Mile Hammock Bay – part of the Marine Corps
base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The bay is a favorite anchorage
along that section of the Intercoastal Waterway, due to its protected
nature. It is, however, first and foremost a Marine Corps base, and the
Marines frequently “play” war games in the area in their small boats.
(The last time we were there we watched the Marines and Coast Guard
security boats practice protecting a WWII-vintage amphibious landing
craft which is beached on the far side of the bay. A friend, who retired
from the Marine Corps and lives in the area, and his wife met us at the
bay. We dingied ashore about 1800 after they arrived. I hadn’t seen them
since about 1991, so we spent an enjoyable evening bringing each other
up to date, and they had a chance to meet Judy! We had a great time.
When we returned to the bay, Sanderling’s anchor light had not come on
(it is triggered by a light/dark activated switch), so our friends had
to shine their car’s headlights on Sanderling while we drove our dingy
the 100 or so yards from the bulkhead back “home.”

Shortly after we returned we were treated to a display by three V-22
Osprey aircraft. Here’s what Judy wrote in our ship’s log about the rest
of the evening:

We had an exciting evening on Mile Hammock Bay. After a delightful
dinner with [friends] we arrived back at Sanderling accompanied by three
Osprey aircraft – they were doing “night ops”  (without lights) until
about 0300! There were also three “stealthy” boats operating without
lights! Very exciting – Go Marines!

The forecast for today was for light winds, so we left Camp Lejeune
about 0730. After waiting a short time for several low bridges, and
shedding outer jackets, then donning them, as the sun and clouds played
hide and seek, we arrived at 1445 at North Carolina Beach (at the north
side of Snow’s Cut) just a few miles from the Cape Fear River. We didn’t
want to continue on because of the lack of good anchorages near the
mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we hope to be at Dock Holidays Marina at North
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the north end of a lengthy stretch
without decent anchorages or marinas! We stayed there on the way north
last July. We’ll have a chance to get fuel, pump out, and take real
showers before continuing on.

Current plan suggests we might be in Georgetown, SC, on Sunday night,
and Charleston on Monday. We hope to spend a day in Charleston
sight-seeing at the Navy exhibit (at a nice marina) and have dinner with
friends one of the two nights we’ll be there.

October 16, 2006 – Patriots Point Marina, near Charleston, South Carolina

We departed the Marines and Mile Hammock Bay as anticipated on Friday morning (October 13) as we had hoped, with anchors up at about the time a number of other boats were departing the same little bay. It is always quite a site to see a number of boats heading out as the sun’s rays are just starting to peak over the horizon.

We ended the day in an anchorage at North Carolina Beach (North Carolina), just before entering the Cape Fear River. Spent a quiet night there along with another boat that had left Mile Hammock Bay in the morning.

Saturday morning (October 14th) we were again up at dawn and underway before 0700 in order to take advantage of the ebb (down bound) current on the Cape Fear River. We were moving along at 10.5 miles an hour and made the trip down stream to Southport in about an hour. On the trip north in July, it took us almost two hours because the current was against us all the way!

We made good time and were able to minimize the time we had to wait at several low bridges along the ICW in southeastern North Carolina. One of the bridges is a one-of-a-kind – a pontoon swing bridge – which only opens on the hour. We got there just minutes before it opened, after pushing our twin 90-horsepower engines along at 2000 rpm for the last two miles – something we don’t like to do very often.

We crossed into South Carolina about mid-afternoon, crossed the Little River Inlet and stopped at Dock Holidays Marina in North Myrtle Beach. Prior to going to our slip for the remainder of the afternoon, we purchased fuel and pumped out the holding tank. After securing Sanderling in her slip, we went shopping at a nearby grocery store, then returned to the marina and Sanderling for real showers – the kind where you can stand under the hot water as long as you want (within reason) and don’t have to take a “Navy” shower. We ate dinner ashore, then returned to retire early in order to get another early start the next day.

Sunday morning, we slept in late, and didn’t get underway until 0730! On the way to an anchorage we passed Georgetown, South Carolina, where we had spent several days a year ago, and where one of our crew departed on the trip north this year. We didn’t stop this time, but continued on another hour and a half or so to an anchorage at the South Santee River. It was a beautiful, quiet night, with only the gurgle of the slight current down the hull to break the silence. We were the only boat in sight – and we could see for miles across the low grass marshes.

The cats enjoyed being able to roam about the outer decks during the night, and on more than one occasion we heard them jumping around from deck to deck.

This morning we didn’t get underway until 0800. The day was very uneventful – miles of low marshes, punctuated with houses built along the waterway. We ended the day early in Charleston, South Carolina, where we are now at a dock in a marina at Patriots Point where there is a Navy/Coast Guard exhibit featuring the USS Yorktown, a WWII submarine and destroyer, and an old Coast Guard cutter. The USS Yorktown is the most visited attraction in South Carolina, according to their brochure. We walked to the ships and toured the USS Yorktown and the destroyer, then ate dinner at a local restaurant a few miles from the marina. The marina happens to be part of a Hilton Hotel resort, and we were able to get a ride to and from the restaurant from a very nice young man who was on duty as the parking valet. As we ate dinner we watched a charter fishing boat crew fillet the day’s catch for the charter guests. Sign next to the fishing boat indicated that the cost for 3/4 of a day (7am to 3pm) for up to six people was $1200.00! Expensive fish fillets!

Tomorrow we’ll head southbound toward Isle of Hope Marina just outside of Savannah. We anticipate we’ll be there by mid-day on Thursday – taking our time and anchoring out the next two nights. Judy is flying to Oklahoma to see her mother for a few days, while I stay on Sanderling with the cats! We’ll (the cats and I) will be anchoring out near the marina while Judy is gone.