Monthly Archives: October 2014

It’s Friday late morning and we have been underway since 07:00 on our way to Carolina Beach NC.   The run today should be somewhat shorter than the last two days, which have both been between 70 and 80nm.   As I write this we are about 45nm from our destination which should put us there at a reasonable hour.

This morning it was raining lightly as we headed out and the sunrise was quite stunning. The goal for today is to put us near Cape Fear where we will jump out behind a cold front which is supposed to exit the coast there around mid-day Saturday for our 250nm run to St Mary’s, a run that should take us about a day and a half.  The wind is expected to be pretty strong, and from behind us, for perhaps as much as 24 hours and then it will become much lighter.   All of this suggests that we will have to motor-sail for at least part of the time.  However, we will surely make much better time, and hopefully sail for a good while, than being in the ICW. Hopefully, the winds will remain behind us and not go toward the south until we make port in St Mary’s 

As has been the case lately, it continues to be hard to get a weather window that lasts more than a few days which really makes it difficult to do any long offshore passages.  This wouldn’t be a problem if I was just cruising down the coast, but with a deadline to get home and a need to make time. it does make things a bit tricky.

When Brenda and I did this run two years ago, we had all sorts of time and really never had to worry about a schedule, which was nice.  Last year, I was able to make a run all the way from Beaufort some 600nm to Ft Pierce FL in a single shot as we had a pretty good window. However, that run was quite dramatic as it was on the tail of a very strong cold front that brought us winds of up to 40kts on the tail.  Actually, for my taste, that was a bit too much to be pleasant.  However, we did make good time.

Yesterday we saw our first dolphins as well as some pelicans.  I have had a really tough time getting shots of dolphins but was able to get a shot, even if it’s a bit blury.  Also, the pelicans weren’t very close.  However, it is a photo of a pelican and they say that blogs are better with photos, even crappy ones (editor’s assumption).  I guess you’ll have to be the judge.  Judge “nicely” please…  This is probably a photo that screams “you had to be there”.Today’s run takes us through Camp Lejeune, a major Marine base.  The ICW goes right through the camp area and there are some intimidating signs along the way to warn you when they are conducting live fire exercises.   Two years ago Brenda and I anchored in a small harbor within the camp’s boundaries and near us was a huge concrete ramp that provided access to the waters for hovercraft.  We didn’t see any during our visit but others have told me that it’s pretty amazing when the marines come blasting through on one of the big hover craft as they blast down the dirt road and into the water, throwing salt spray everywhere.

I guess that this sign suggests that they aren’t kidding.Yesterday we were passed at high speed by some really impressive powerboats manned by marines and painted in grey camouflage.   The boats, about 40’ long, were very angular looking, probably designed to be less detectable by radar.  Unfortunately, they came by so fast that I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time to get a shot.  I suspect that that’s the idea.

A few minutes ago we were passed by an Osprey VTOL aircraft, that’s “Vertical Take Off and Landing”.  These are sort of a high-bred of a prop plane crossed with a helicopter.  Their huge rotors are vectored vertically for takeoff and then are rotated forward to fly like a regular plane.  The design has been plagued by problems from the start, with quite a few crashes over the years but continue to be in service.   Never the less, they look amazing flying by.  Too bad they didn’t get closer.   I guess you’ll have to use your imagination.  No wait, I cropped it.  That’s not too bad.  Yes?The waterway here is flanked by miles of marsh grass on both sides.  The color of the grass is quite dramatic against the overcast sky.  Like the other canals on the ICW, this area is carved out of swamp and the channels go on for miles without a bend. Shrimping is big business in these parts.  This guy passed us in really narrow channel with his nets set out to dry.  A very impressive sight.  It looked like some sort of massive insect.  Well, it’s time for lunch so I had better wrap it up.  Hopefully, the weather will hold out for our run, beginning on Saturday.  

It’s Thursday morning and we are motoring down the ICW near Oriental, NC.  The winds are very calm with just enough on the beam to allow us to motorsail, sort of.  It’s a beautiful area in a bleak sort of way.

Last night we anchored in Belhaven NC, a town that some might say has “seen it’s best days” many years ago.  The main street has a number of empty storefronts, which is a bit depressing.   The land is VERY low with the streets near the water not more than a few feet above sea level.   I can’t imagine what a storm surge from a hurricane would do to the area.  Can you say “mom, there’s 8’ of water in the garage, no wait, in the living room”.  Yikes…

Jim and I went ashore for pizza and beer and were very pleased with how good the pizza was.  I wasn’t expecting much and was pleasantly surprised.  There is a new restaurant in town that was about to open up when Brenda and I were there last October and I was impressed with how nice it was. Given the look of mainstreet, the place looked a bit out of place.  However, even on a Wednesday night they seemed to be doing a pretty good business.   The place is called The Tavern at Jack’s Neck.  It’s worth visiting.

So, here we are motoring toward Beaufort and our plan to make an offshore run, perhaps beginning on Saturday. However, the dilemma is that the window for a good offshore breeze is pretty short and I am not sure if there is enough time to make the 360 mile run from Beaufort to St Mary’s GA before the wind clocks to the south and stops our progress.

In the fall, winds from the north are common but they seem to only last for a few days prior to clocking back to the prevailing southerly direction.  The problem is that this doesn’t allow enough time to make a long run offshore.  Anyway, today I was thinking about this and it occurred to me that perhaps the best option would be to bypass Beaufort NC, which is just south of Cape Hatteras and head another 80-100 mile south from there and jump out at either Masonboro Inlet, just north of Cape Fear or to continue a bit further to Cape Fear River Inlet and jump out from there.  By heading out from Cape Fear, we can avoid the 40 mile SE run to get around the Cape Fear shoals that would be required if we headed out from Masonboro Inlet.

I suspect that we will be able to make the additional distance down the ICW to Southport NC in time to catch the favorable winds in the Cape Fear area that should arrive late on Saturday.

Anyway, that’s the plan, for today anyway, which should put us into St Mary’s in time to make our Wednesday evening flights home.

Yesterday and today will be long days but the motoring is easy with very light winds and glass calm conditions.  Yesterday we were underway for over 11 hours and made nearly 80 miles.  That was a long but very pleasant day.  Today is likely to be about the same.  The shore scenery as we headed down narrow canals was a bit bleak but pretty at the same time.  I guess you’ll have to be the judge. Very peaceful.A few minutes ago two mean looking bunch of GI Joe guys in RIBS blasted by.  They were hauling.  Your tax dollars hard at work.   And, what’s a post without a nice sunrise over downtown Belhaven in a light haze.The beginning of yet another beautiful day on the ICW.  We’ll see how the plans go.  For now, continuing to mosey on down the ICW.    

And, that’ s my report.

It’s Wednesday morning and we left Elizabeth City around 07:30 to make the run to Belhaven, about 70 miles south on the ICW.   We had a very nice visit in EC last night and enjoyed a terrific dinner of boiled spicy shrimp that we peeled and ate in the cockpit and washed down with a few beers.   We also had some terrific crabcakes, dusted with Old Bay seasoning and coleslaw on a bed of lettuce.   Mmmm…

As we were preparing to head out today, we were treated to a wonderful sunrise over the waterfront park in Elizabeth City.  Pandora’s on the right. Nice place.This morning Ken  left Pandora to drive home as our run was taking more time than he had to commit to the trip.  As his schedule was really tighter than we both realized, it was unlikely that he’d be able to do the whole trip anyway. 

However, my other crew member, Jim knows the boat pretty well now having sailed with me from Nassau to Essex last year.  Actually, by the time we get to St Mary’s GA next week, he will have been aboard Pandora for more miles than anyone else who has crewed with me in to date.  He’s a pleasure to have on board.

So, we decided to make a long day today on our run to Belhaven and will be underway till early evening.

A nice view of downtown Elizabeth City as we left this morning.  The water was glass smooth. As we head south, we are making a good 7kts which is good.  Interestingly, when I left LI Sound Pandora’s bottom had not been cleaned for about a month and the best speed that I was able to get with 2,000 RPM was only about 6.4kts.  Now that I have gone all the way to Annapolis and now down to North Carolina, we are doing a bit over 7kts with the same RPM.  That suggests that the light slime that had built up on the bottom has been worn off by the passing water.

Speaking of speed, I am particularly pleased with my new Autoprop as I am getting nearly 1.5kts better speed at the same RPM.   I checked the fuel economy the other day and determined that we are now getting better fuel economy at about .77GPH versed just under a gallon per hour, and going the same speed.  That translates into a MPG of about 8.5 as opposed to something like 6.5 with my old prop.  I’ll need a bit more time to confirm that number, but it seems about right.  I was told that I would see about a 15% improvement in fuel economy with the new prop, and this seems to confirm that.

Yesterday was a wonderful day as we made our way through the Dismal Swamp Canal from Newport News.   The canal is an impressive engineering feat dug by slave labor during George Washington’s time.  Slavery is indeed an unfortunate part of our history and the canal is one example of the hardships that these people endured.  I am pleased that the canal has been kept up for all of these years as a reminder of our past.

Here’s the sunrise just below the lock.  Beautiful and very peaceful.On a positive note, one of my favorite parts of the trip is seeing the Lock Tender Robert, as we enter the north lock of the canal. Robert is always good for a smile and warm greeting.   And this time, he even shared a Danish and cup of coffee with us.  What a great guy.   As if that wasn’t enough, he even agreed to do a “short” conch concert.  I hope to upload the clip soon but don’t have the bandwidth to do it right now.  You go Robert!!!Transiting the lock to the canal is a wonderful experience as we were lifted the 8’ to the swamp and then dropped down again at the other end.   Doesn’t Pandora look right at home in the lock?Ken enjoying a cup of Robert’s coffee.  Note the wall above Pandora. Now, in the full position, 8’ higher.  An impressive rise in only a few minutes.Pandora looking good in the lock and ready to go.On our way down the canal.  So smooth and peaceful. I guess that I’d better focus on where Pandora’s going and less on where she’s been.  Don’t want to run aground.  No wait, Jim’s at the helm.  Whew…

Oh yeah, I spoke with Chris Parker today and it looks like we will get some favorable winds to jump out of Beaufort for the 2 day sail to St Mary’s, perhaps on Saturday.  Fingers crossed.  I’ll talk to him again on Friday morning.  Wish us luck.

That’s all for now.