The Journey South Continues to Myrtle Beach

From Southport, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway runs along the Atlantic coast with no more than barrier islands separating the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean. There are many resort towns along this stretch and also a few inlets that need to be transited. Two of those inlets, Lockwoods Folly and Shallotte Inlet are famous for shoaling and being difficult passages. Once off the dock at around 8:30 a.m., we would transit both of these in one day before reaching our next destination at Myrtle Beach.  It's always better to transit Lockwoods and Shallotte at mid-tide or higher. The temperatures were cool, but it was a bright sunny day with good conditions forecast.

On to Southport, North Carolina

Southbound from Wrightsville Beach, it can be an easy run down the ICW and the Cape Fear River if you have the right wind and tide conditions. On the day we made the trip, it could not have been better. It was anchor up at 0730 in Wrightsville and we were tied to the town dock in Southport at 1045. Light winds and the outgoing tide made for a fast, comfortable trip and as we entered the basin at Southport, it was like seeing an old friend once again. The basin is just off the ICW channel as you make the turn off the Cape Fear River. This is a small basin with room to anchor a few boats, and several free docks available at some of the restaurants: The Provisioning Company, Fishy Fishy Cafe and The Yacht Basin Eatery. They allow overnight dockage if you eat at their establishment. There is no power or water at the docks and these are floating docks. The tidal range here is about 5 feet.

The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times

We have had a love-hate relationship with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway for over 20 years. Every trip is a journey of discovery and every trip we learn something new and encounter new experiences. There are days when we are so thankful for all of the years and miles we have experienced, and there are days we wish we had stayed in bed. Heading south from Swansboro might be classified as one of those days we should have stayed in bed. But in the end, it's all part of the adventure. Our destination for the evening would be the anchorage at Wrightsville Beach. The ICW between Swansboro and Wrightsville Beach requires traveling through one of the more troubling areas of the waterway. The weather was perfect, but all did not go as planned.

On To Swansboro North Carolina

From Beaufort to Swansboro, the distance is only 33 nautical miles. After running a few more errands, we left the docks at a little after noon. I can't remember the last time our day started this late. As we keep saying, there is no place we have to be and no special time we have to be there. The best channel to use from Beaufort heading south runs along the east side of Radio Island, out toward the main inlet and shipping channel. Then it's necessary to turn back into the direction of the main Port and connect back to the Intracoastal Waterway. As we neared the commercial docks we sighted a couple on their trawler that we had met in the Sassafras River on the Chesapeake Bay. A quick call on the VHF found that w both had plans for the same destination. The next three hours were uneventful and other than the light rain and drizzle, it was a normal and easy day. The next stop was to be a Swansboro, a small town right on the waterway at statute mile 229.

The Cold Chases Us South, Bath to Beaufort, NC

We spent an additional day at the docks in Bath, NC due to high winds on the Pamlico River. The morning of our departure brought temperatures in the middle 30s, which is way too cold for the crew. Sitting at the free state dock before the sun came up required running the generator for coffee, the toaster and the microwave, but mostly to run the heater to warm up the boat. It usually is 10 degrees warmer inside the boat than outside overnight, but that's still in the 40s. It takes about an hour to get the temperatures up, and by then, breakfast is over and it's time to untie the dock lines and get underway. These are the days when we really love the inside steering station and the laptop running our navigation program at the helm.

The Towns of Washington and Bath North Carolina

Washington, NC

About 30 miles upriver from the spot where the Intracoastal Waterway crosses the Pamlico River lays the town of Washington, NC. For the many boaters that speed south to reach their winter destinations, missing these side trips is a shame. We have been just as guilty in the past, but decided that on this transit of the ICW, we would stop and smell the fish fry. The Pamlico can be daunting and a careful eye on the weather is required. The payoff to visiting this well protected harbor and yet another historic site along the North Carolina waterway is more than worth the additional time and miles.

ICW Side Trips and a Disappointing Revisit

The Albemarle Sound is famous for being a body of water to be respected. After a great visit to Edenton, NC, we headed out on the Albemarle toward the Alligator River. The weather forecast was for northeast 5 to 10 and that would put the wind and seas right on our nose. To give it some perspective, if the winds were only at 10 knots and we travel at about 8 knots, the apparent wind on our bow will be 18 knots - the actual wind speed and our boat speed combined. The Albemarle can be very uncomfortable even in moderate conditions, and of course, we are well aware that the weather service seldom gets the forecast right. Our practice is to add 5 knots to their forecast for winds and 1-2 feet to the forecast sea conditions. Most of the time, this winds up being pretty close to the conditions we find. Heading east, the winds began building and soon we were experiencing 20 to 22 knots apparent. Needless to say, the steep seas, spaced closely together, were slowing our progress somewhat as water came over the bow and splashed on the windows of the lower helm. Maybe we should have turned back, but these were the best conditions we were going to get for days, so we pressed on.

Edenton, North Carolina

From a boater’s perspective, Edenton, North Carolina is one of those destinations you have to want to go to. We left Elizabeth City and traveled some 15 miles down the Pasquotank River to the Albemarle Sound. The Albemarle is best known for its unpleasant conditions if the weather is not right. Under normal conditions, it’s no different than any other body of water we have transited. Once into the Albemarle from the Pasquotank, the trip is another 35 miles or more west to the entrance to Edenton harbor. (It is more than 40 miles off the Virginia Cut route.) The water depths are fine for the entire trip, but do keep a sharp lookout for the many commercial floats marking traps that can extend far out into the Sound.

Rain, Rain, Will You Ever Give Us A Break?

It's like deja vu all over again. On the trip north, we had to deal with wet weather for weeks until we were in the Chesapeake, and now that we're out of the Chesapeake, the wet weather has settled in again with a vengeance. After four days, the rains did relent and although it was still cloudy, cool and damp, we departed the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center and headed downstream to Elizabeth City. Locking through at South Mills was easy and there was only a large catamaran that locked through with us. As we exited the lock, once again, we were in for an unwanted surprise.

So Long, Old Friend

It's always with mixed feelings that we say so long to one of our favorite cruising destinations. There is sadness in knowing that we will miss some locations that time did not allow for. Sadness to say so long to our friends and family that we won't see again for many months. We will miss revisiting the many spectacular anchorages we enjoyed. But there is also a bit of joy in the anticipation of being underway again and transiting the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Even though we have done the ICW many times, each new cruise is different from the last. You just never get tired of it. At least we don't. There will be new towns to visit, favorite anchorages to enjoy and most important, meeting new friends and faces along the way. For us, that's the best part of cruising. For now, we just needed to finish getting down the Chesapeake. And the winds in the lower Bay were finally subsiding.

Go South, Go South

That's what the little voice in the back of my head keeps repeating over and over. With a fresh coat of paint on the bottom, new zincs and a clean prop, the boat seemed to glide along in the water now. With the bow pointed almost due south, it seemed like the boat itself was anxious to get underway once again. The ride back down the bay was smooth and uneventful, other than the constant need to dodge the bizillion floats attached to crab pots, and the faint chill in the air. There is also the slightest hint of the foliage beginning to turn colors for the fall. We did have one more stop to make before the push to Norfolk. And I hesitate to use the word push because we did plan a slow, steady trip down the western shore to visit some creeks and anchorages we haven't been to for a while or at all. We were both raised on the Chesapeake Bay and each spent the first 30 or so years of our lives exploring it. And yet there are many rivers and creeks that we have never visited. And we did want to make one more visit to our friends Bill and Elisa in Rock Creek before the long trek south.

Stuck in the Northern Chesapeake

Okay, I wouldn't really call it stuck. More like lingering excessively. Our last post left off with us leaving Chesapeake City to avoid the noise and hassle of the upcoming Labor Day weekend. We exited the C&D Canal and headed south on the Elk River, right into a NOT forecast south wind at 10 to 15 knots. The Chesapeake can be nasty with any wind against current situation so a plan B was in order. A few miles south of the Maryland entrance to the C&D Canal is the Bohemia River. In a south wind it's easy to just head up river a bit and pull over toward the south shore as much as draft will allow and drop the anchor. Beach House departed Chesapeake City at 10:30 AM and the hook was down in Veasey Cove on the Bohemia at 11:50 AM. The rest of the day was just for relaxing, we thought.

The Northern Chesapeake Bay

I know. It's been a couple of weeks since we've done any kind of update on the blog. It isn't because we haven't been anywhere or doing anything. It's because we have been doing so much and having such a good time doing it, we haven't had a lot of time to write. We've also had a few issues that needed our attention that we didn't expect. This post should bring us up to date. When we last posted we were in Baltimore's Inner Harbor at Fells Point. On our final day, we pulled off the dock just after sunrise and headed out the Patapsco River. Little did we know that our planned stay at our destination of a couple of days would stretch out to a couple of weeks.

Fells Point And Baltimore's Inner Harbor

We've spent about two weeks in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and at Fells Point sampling all that the area has to offer. We have mixed feelings about the area and the tourist destination it has become. I suppose that being in small communities and remote anchorages for months may have jaded our perception of what we expected once we arrived back in the big city. Fells Point is just as we remember it. By some estimates there are over 120 small restaurants and bars in the Fells Point neighborhood and the area is visited by thousands of tourists each year. If you enjoy the nightlife, musical entertainment, and a whirlwind of crowds, you will love Fells Point. We can only eat and drink so much and it's time to move on to quieter waters. This isn't really a family friendly location and one of the reasons we stopped here was so our family could come and visit. Fortunately the harbor provides a very colorful boat ride, so a slow cruise on the Patapsco River is always a fun day.

Time to Cross The Bay

Our plans would take us over to the western shore to visit with friends on Rock Creek in Pasadena, MD. We decided to go down river and find an anchorage that would put us closer to the Bay and make our trip to Rock Creek shorter the next day. The options were Langford Creek or Grays Inn Creek, near the mouth of the Chester River. We departed Chestertown on Sunday afternoon, and as usual, the boat traffic was pretty heavy. We had tried to wait for the powerboat group at the marina to leave because we knew they'd be running full speed down the river to get home before their normal boat slips ran away. All of them had left but one Cruisers Inc. 455, and it came past us full throttle, throwing up a huge wake that rocked every boat on the river. The lack of consideration for the safety of others still baffles us today. The decision to stop in Grays Inn Creek instead of Langford Creek was made mostly because there is always lots of boat traffic in Langford on weekends. It turned out to be a good decision.

Enjoying the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay

Our time spent with friends is always too short, but we convinced our friends Edwin and Silvia to come along with us on our trip from their house on the Wye River to Chestertown. Their son dropped off their car so they could get back home, and the weather couldn't have cooperated more. The trip down the Wye was just as spectacular as the trip upriver. Our only challenge for the day would be transiting Kent Narrows. The channel out the north end is well known for its shallow spots, being narrow and constantly moving. As we approached the drawbridge in the narrows, we called the bridgetender to let him know we needed an opening. He decided he didn't need to open on time, and boats on both side waited until he was good and ready. Fortunately, we made the bridge at slack water so we didn't have to deal with the strong currents that can make waiting for the bridge interesting. Once we finally did get through, we would have to negotiate the channel on the other side.

Trawlering The Chesapeake Bay

Warning; This is a long post.
Great Bridge, VA is always a good stop along the waterway before entering the Chesapeake Bay northbound or after the Chesapeake if southbound. The free tie up on the wall between the bridge and lock gives access to groceries, shopping of all sorts, restaurants, hardware stores, pharmacies and most anything you might need. For us, it was an opportunity to visit with friends that live nearby. But after a few days of visiting and then waiting for the rains to let up, we locked through the Great Bridge Lock once more and motored north through the Norfolk/Portsmouth waterway. Cruising past our Naval Fleet and the many different types of vessels encountered along this stretch is always an amazing experience. We see everything from riverboats and nuclear submarines, to aircraft carriers and working tug boats. All against Norfolk's and Portsmouth's towering backdrop. There is always a visible security presence all along the waterfront, and they are serious about their job. It's imperative that anyone give the Naval vessels a wide berth.

The Great Dismal Swamp Canal And Welcome Center.

When we tell other boaters that we plan to travel the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, many respond that they would love to do it but are afraid to try. I already know the answer but I still have to ask, why? The answer is always the same. They are afraid that they will hit a log and damage the keel of the boat or their props or rudders. The canal has a reputation for debris floating in the water and, especially, lurking under the surface. The question then becomes, is that reputation and fear justified? The answer isn't that simple; it's yes and no. Is that fear and reputation enough to avoid a wonderful experience. It wasn't for us. After several trips up and down this stretch of the ICW, we vowed that this time we would do the Dismal Swamp, no matter what.

Elizabeth City, North Carolina, The Harbor of Hospitality

Any boater that has transited the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway more than once has at least heard of the hospitality offered to boaters in this sleepy North Carolina town perched on the Pasquotank River. Most boaters are also familiar with the tradition of the Rose Buddies, but alas, the Rose Buddies have all passed on and the tradition is all but gone. A short detour off the traditional waterway on the Albemarle Sound will bring you to this friendly harbor, and you will still be met at the town docks by a fellow named Gus that has made himself the unofficial greeter, Dockmaster and historian at Mariner's Wharf. Gus will help you tie up in one of the 14 slips at Mariners Park (page 7, The Great Book Of Anchorages, Norfolk to Key West), give you the latest on the town and direct you to wherever you might need to go. It seems that many boaters don't know that the 14 slips at the park are not the only free facilities offered by the town.

Manteo, North Carolina

The locals pronounce it Man-e-o. This jewel, located on the northern end of Roanoke Island just about 22 miles east of where the ICW channel exits the north end of the Alligator River, is often passed by boaters as they rush north or south to get to their seasonal destination. How unfortunate for them. During our current cruise north, we have encountered weeks of lousy weather and delays, and we were looking and hoping to find a good spot to relax and spend some quality time. Did we ever find it in Manteo. It all began while anchored in the Little Alligator River. We called Carl Jordan, Dockmaster at Manteo Waterfront Marina. Being cruisers, we often lose track of time including days or even months. Just as we called Carl, we came to the realization that the next day was July 3rd and we would be asking for last minute accommodations during the 4th of July Holiday. To our delight and surprise, Carl told us to “come on ahead and we’ll find room for you.” And that’s exactly what they did despite a full marina with reservations for the holiday.