Charleston, SC, Beaufort, NC, ICW and on to Galesville, MD

So we finally got off the dock in Charleston and headed out to sea.  The wind was light, but the seas were choppy and we welcomed our turn toward the northeast - though downwind and following seas would have been more welcomed.  It was a beautifully sunny day and the weather was really pretty good.  We had put the mainsail up in the harbor so Greg wouldn't have to go out on deck in a choppy sea.  So - we motor sailed for awhile.  An ocean passage - with the right weather planning and luck can be very pleasant - but can also be extremely boring.  And if it's crazy weather, then it's not boring, but you wouldn't want to be there.  So - you hang out, poke your head up and around 360 every 10 minutes or so, check the chart plotter for ships (using radar at night and AIS - an international radio-based Automatic Identification System) and slowly make your way.

It was going along pretty well, except Sharon couldn't get her stomach to settle.  She took a couple of Bonine and kept trying to get enough sleep, but it wasn't working.  As we passed Beaufort about 230 miles into the trip, the decision rested with Sharon, keep going another 200 miles to the Chesapeake, or turn left and head in.  She kept putting the decision off, but finally cried "uncle".  We turned the boat and headed downwind and into harbor.  The unsettled stomach lasted through the middle of the next day.

Beaufort is a sweet little town and we grabbed a spot on a T-dock, filled the fuel tanks, took land showers, had a light meal and went to bed early.  Up by 6am the next morning, we headed up the ICW.  It was a beautiful morning, you could smell summer.  Honeysuckle on the shore, the green grass - it was very special.  The light winds in the morning built to 18-20 knots by late afternoon as we crossed Pamlico Sound.  We sailed all the way up the sound, then the Pungo River with jib alone.  We pulled the sail in and headed to a favorite spot off the Pungo River.  It was terrific being the only ones there.  Here is a photo of us at anchor.  The yellow ball floats at the top of a "trip line" to retrieve the anchor if it gets snagged, which is recommended in these parts due to lots of fallen trees lying underwater.  It is a line attached to an integral ring on the crown of the anchor that allows you to pull the anchor off anything it may inadvertently get hooked on.

The next morning, we left early again and continued up the Alligator-Pungo Canal, into the Alligator River and across the Albemarle Sound.  Once again, early morning light breezes gave way to strong afternoon winds as we crossed the sound.  But early in the day, the light was so beautiful that Sharon had to get the camera out.  The Alligator-Pungo Canal is fairly narrow and lined with beautiful grasses, tree stumps and open meadows.  As she was focusing in on one particular grassy border, out pops this little doe to say hi!  What are the chances!

Mom and Baby catching some rays

Alligator-Pungo Canal

We found a sweet anchorage just north of Buck Island at Mile Marker 56 (this meant we had 56 miles to go to Norfolk).  It was a gorgeous evening and we had another good sleep.  Wanting to get an early start to accommodate a number of bridges, one lock, and Greg's work schedule, we headed out at 5:30am.....but not before opening the companionway and finding hundreds of bugs all over the canvas (we think they might have been May flies?)  It was awful!  Greg hates bugs and this was really disgusting.  But - the bugs motivated us and we were off ahead of time.  It was a great day, maneuvering the twisting, turning ICW, awaiting bridges, we made it to the lock by noon.  We were transiting the Elizabeth River, a very industrial area that ends at the channel to the mouth of the Chesapeake and the Naval Station by 3pm.  Greg has a standing 4pm call on Friday so that meant we needed to be someplace where he could concentrate.  We didn't do so well as the wind picked up late afternoon again.  So, while Sharon tried to keep the boat slow, steady and quiet, Greg tried to deal with the rolling that she was not able to fix. During this time, we think we nabbed a crab trap because we couldn't figure out why we were only making 4 knots at 2800 RPM's.  And by now, it was 5pm and the wind in our face made it tough to consider going another 15 miles to Mobjack Bay.  We turned into Hampton Roads and grabbed a slip at Bluewater Yachting Center.  All seemed fine.  Greg changed the fuel filters thinking this was an issue related to the high RPMs and slow movement, and we were off again by 7am.  Except, Sharon kept seeing this stray crab float popping up near the boat and sure enough, when we tried to make speed again, it just wasn't happening.  So - Greg donned his snorkel, fins and mask and went in the water.  Nothing was wrapped around the propeller (thank goodness) but he finally did see that the float had slipped between the rudder and keel and so was unable to dislodge itself.  A sharp knife that we keep by the helm did the trick and we were off.

Another couple long days riding the waves and wind up the Chesapeake Bay and we are comfortably settled at Pirate's Cove Marina in Galesville, MD for a couple weeks.  Only about 10 miles south of Annapolis, we've rented a car, have already accomplished several chores and errands, and are working our way through our fix-it list.

We spent our first night anchored in the harbor near the marine, however, because we arrived late.  In the morning, we found yet another line wrapped under the boat.  This time it was a ski tow line that someone had left in the water. It was wrapped around our prop shaft and as we entered our slip it made the prop vibrate violently and then cease any effect.  This meant we were entering our slip with no way to stop the boat!  With a few louder than normal communications to each other, we were able to get lines on to the adjacent pilings in time to stop the boat from moving forward and into the dock. Whew!  Stuff in the water!!!!  We can't remember ever catching a line in ten years, then two in one week!

Greg flew to Boston for a few days of business appointments.  Sharon is in Fenwick Island, DE to do some summer prep on the family beach house.  We'll both be back to the boat soon.  It's nice to be back in the Chesapeake and we hope to get in a few weekends on the hook.

'Til then -