May 11 Going Outside at record speed

Over the River and through the Sea

May 11, Monday, we crashed around getting to the fuel dock at Palm Harbor Marina to prepare ourselves for the long haul “outside” (into the Atlantic) for a straight shot from West Palm Beach to Beaufort, NC, 530 miles.  No damage, but it was a pretty messy with dockhands using the dock lines to actually pull us to the dock against roaring currents.  There was a huge mega yacht taking the afternoon to fill their tanks with thousands of gallons of gas, like 10,000 gallons ($$$$$).  Maybe we should just ban those gas/diesel hogs or ration them.  The amount of wealth in this area was staggering.

 It was a rough start out of the channel about 1:15 PM with east winds causing a chop, but a few miles out the wonderful Gulf Stream gave us a huge lift.  Still there were choppy seas 3’ to 4’ to 5’.  Our speed went up to10 k; the fastest we’ve ever gone.  I tried to fish and lost 2 big lures after 2 big tugs on the line. I guess I didn’t set the hook in when it bit. 

We went at record speed.

 

     Both Drew and Mazu got sick once and I, ta da, with my trusty transderm patch, did not. 

 The sunrises and sunsets were the entertainment once again, 

some good ipod music, and an audio book.  We took our watches, and we were able to sleep.  Mazu, however, hates it all, especially the loud winch and sail flapping sounds each time we set sail or bring them in.  She buries her head in my arm and sometimes shakes. She was able to pee on deck twice this trip.  Live and learn.

  The total outside passage took about 68 hours.  The trip wasn’t as rough as the one from Cape Cod to Norfolk, VA.  We arrived at 7:30 AM and went directly to a marina in Morehead City, NC. We topped off the fuel tank, and Mazu tore off the boat to do her job. 

  We had a short discussion about continuing outside from here and waiting for the wind to turn in the right direction, southwest, to go around Hatteras up to Cape Cod.  It would be great to be able to sail.  Drew said no way with the 40k winds that were there now.  It would only be a 3 and a half day sail, and we’d be there.  I was willing to wait for the wind.  We could skip the ICW that I really don’t like.

  Rather than wait we kept going up to Oriental, NC, another 20 miles, to Oriental Harbor Marina that has a pool, tiki bar, and protected slips. After a pretty good docking using 5 dock lines and fenders on all sides to secure the boat in the narrow slip we had a good late lunch at their restaurant. The tiny town is fun with a farmers market Saturday morning and complimentary bikes for shopping. We tried a tandem bike for the first time.  It’s a pretty southern town, broad porches on houses with a few shops and boatyards. Drew thought we might consider leaving Shawnee here and have them do some boat work.  We motored on.

The ICW from Oriental, NC to Bel Haven, NC

Saturday May 17

  Next leg we left at 10:30 AM and sailed a little through Pamlico Sound.  Each day we go about 50 miles when on the ICW, Intracoastal Waterway. We can travel about 9 hours at about 5.6 k per hour.   It seems to me we could go at night too, but we haven’t tried that, a little too risky. Today, when we arrived at Bel Haven we decided to try our first anchoring (free).  Bel Haven has a patchwork of 3’ and 4’ shallow shoals throughout the harbor and anchoring places in between.  The Navionics app is the only way we can really do this.  We can see exactly where we are in the water with the depths shown on the ipad chart.  We succeeded in the 25 k wind that decided to pick up just as we put down the anchor around 5:30 pm.  The strong wind helped set the anchor.  We released the dinghy down off the davits, hoisted the motor with pulleys and ropes onto the dinghy, screwed it down, and it started right up : ).

  We found out online that the small town was having Pirate Days with a pirate ship, sailboat races, a benefit dance and other celebrations, all of which we missed by coming in late.   We still went into town to walk/run Mazu and had a southern fried meal at “Farm Boys” and an ice cream cone.

  Under a star studded sky we dinghied back to Shawnee to find her totally covered in mayflies!  It was like a horror show.  The only good thing I can say is that they don’t bite and they cannot get through our screens.  We kept our mouths closed and swam through the swarm down into the cabin quickly closing the hatch and screens.  We kept all the windows closed all night and looked out as they massed, covering everything.  We have dorret vents that allow air below at all times.  It was 50 degrees out so we stayed warm and bug free. 

 

Sunday May 18  Bel Haven to Alligator River Marina

  The next morning it was disgusting to look out at the cockpit and see what we had to go through.  Life is an adventure and sometimes not so much fun.  I put on a head net. Drew had a bug bandanna over his mouth.  We swatted our way to the dinghy, motored in, and walked Mazu.  Drew talked with a Sea Tow Captain who was at the dock.  He explained that this is the spring cycle of Mayflies.  They eventually go away when it gets to be 80 degrees, and they die from the heat.  Then there is a bloom of spiders here that live on the mayflies.  To get inside their homes local families stand together, wipe each other off and rush through their door quickly at night.  They are only around in the evening, thank God.  They each leave a little black dot that washes away, but Shawnee now has to be totally washed down after we get out of this.  There are speckles all over on every item bow to stern.  

  The anchor came up about 8:45 am.  I washed down the muddy anchor as it came up and the bow and now we have puddles of floating dead mayflies covering the side of the deck.  It can’t rain soon enough.

   Today is the day we go through the Alligator River Wildlife Reserve.  There are no marinas, anchorages, communication, or fuel for 21 miles in the canal we motor through.  One boater said on the radio that he’d seen a bear at the water’s edge.  We passed a huge barge shoved by a tug named “Anger Management.”  The canal is about 60 feet wide with a line down the middle (the ICW) where it is 13’ deep  and 2’ deep on either side.  Staying in the channel is of utmost importance.  We can’t set a track and hit autopilot here.  We have to keep watching the depth sounder.  Now the flies are starting.  We understand why Coinjock, a marina on the ICW, gives away flyswatters.  Ours breaks on the third hit.  We are also using the handy electric zapper tennis racket my sister, Chris, gave us to try and reduce the population.

  It’s a beautiful warm sunny day on the water.