June 3-4, 2014 The Dismal Swamp.

June 3: With a little help from Mike, Bill and his crew, and Judie, we squeezed R Island from her slip and into the channel. Beautiful cruise up the head-waters of the Pasquotank river to the start of the Dismal Swamp. Very few markers but really only one way to go.      

Traversed our first lock of the trip, an 8 foot rise into the canal. All went well, but need to remember to keep our fenders horizontal when locking and get large "ball" fenders.

Tied up at the "Dismal Swamp Visitors Center" adjacent to a rest stop for Route 17. Nice facilities but no boater showers or power. Had picnic lunch at a table under the trees that line the canal. Later crossed a floating bridge to the State Park and toured the exhibits. Spent much of the afternoon visiting with two guys traveling on a sail boat that we met at Alligator River Marina and some passing motorist with no "Off Button" traveling to Fernandina Beach FL. Had "dock-tails" and munchies at 5:00 with Judy and Bill from Seaquel, Inch N Along and the sail-boat guys. Lasted until about 7:30.

Quit water - silence.

The churn from the engines - tannin causes the water to turn brown in the rivers.

 the Amazon!

From lock to bridge

 

typical of the route

R Island and Inch N Along at dock

the floating bridge being opened for Seaquel

Animals of the Swamp

...and friends.

June 4: First 3.5 hours were 5 MPH going down the Dismal Swamp Canal. very isolated most of the way - almost "Amazon-like". probably only 50-80 feet wide, 6 foot deep, and lots of trees. Saw a Great Blue Heron with fish in his mouth, Summer Tanager bird, and a deer searching for food.  As we neared the north end, it got a little back to civilization with a nearby road and bike riders and hikers - all friendly! At the north lock, Seaquel gave us a little scare when she released her stern tie way too early.  Loaned Rick on Persistence our new 24" pipe wrench to fix his jammed anchor - success.            

The crew performed well today thru 2 locks, three lift bridges, docking for fuel and pump-out, and finally docking into slip. Only went about 20 miles today - but took 7 hours (a lot of slow going and waiting). Took very welcome showers, turned on the A/C, had spaghetti and meatballs, and died!

Leaving the dock with Persistence and Seaquel rafted up.

You can read this sign either way!

Bambi

May 30 - June 2, 2014 Oriental NC to Elizabeth City NC

May 30, Happy 44th Anniversary to us! Not underway until about 9:30 as we needed fuel and a pump-out. Lots of boats headed north, always someone passing us or us passing sailboats. First 18 miles was typical ICW channels and narrow waterways. the last 5 were open waters of the Neuse River. Stopped at Oriental Marina and Inn about 1:00. Small marina and adjoining small hotel with a good restaurant and Tiki Bar. Visited with Don Charland at Pecan Grove Marina about winter storage. Great facility, nice docks, and a long way from the Chesapeake. Nice casual afternoon and evening in a small town claiming to "have more boats than people".

Colorful house along the way

Oriental Marina and Inn view from our slip.

The mascot!

View to the River.

May 31. Got away cleanly at 7:30, in spite of boats at public dock crowding us a little. "Private Idaho" was there and we met them later that evening. 20 miles of big water on the Neuse River, then 10 miles of ditch-like waterway, then 20 miles up the Pungo River to Dowry Creek Marina near Belhaven NC. At a happy hour get-together sponsored by the marina, met up with Mike and Lois aboard "Inch N Along" whom we met at Brunswick GA, and the folks from "Private Idaho" who gave great reference about Pecan Grove Marina.

Away early in the day.

June 1. Got away before 7:00 in order to beat the afternoon wind; but it started when we did. After a nice 5 mile run up the Pungo River, had 10 more miles of a straight ditch with only 2 minor turns about half way thru. Entered the Alligator River and had 25 MPD winds on the nose for the next four hours, 2-3 foot waves, and spray hitting the fly-bridge at times. The boat performed great and the crew did too. The worst came as we turned 90 degrees west to enter Alligator River Marina just north of the swing bridge, and the waves were on our beam causing the boat to roll sideways. Judie did a great job of holding on and getting the dock lines ready. Had a group dinner with Bonnie Rover (Merritt and Vicky), Ninkasi (Dick and Donna) and Inch N Along (Mike and Lois) at the Marina restaurant/Shell Station. Good value for the dollar.

Leaving Dowry Creek Marina

Sometimes not so pretty - but easy to see the effects of logging.

Guess where the "road" goes!

June 2. The good Lord smiled on us this day. The final 4 miles of the Alligator River and the 14 miles across Albemarle Sound were easy in one foot waves and a light breeze. The run up the Pasquotank river was in glass-like conditions - no waves and only a very slight occasional breeze (really mild Bill Moyer). Passed Elizabeth City by about three miles to another small rustic marina at a gas station _ Lambs Marina. Nicest folks ever - gave us the keys to a loaner car for the afternoon so we could visit town and enjoy the area. The town has built a nice waterfront to attract boaters (but no water or power) and the homes in the area are well kept or being renovated. Nice walking tour of downtown and adjoining residences. Had beer and Nachos at the Waterfront Café for dinner. Stopped at a Lowes to get wrenches to adjust the stuffing box on drive shaft.

 

"Inch N Along"

Smooth water and very little breeze.

Lambs Marina

May 22-29, 2014 Morehead City NC

We'll do this one by topic rather than chronological.

Duration: Ger's fault. When he was cleaning the raw water intake strainers, he decided that the one for the main engine had too much "junk" in it (mostly shells) and needed to come completely apart and get a new strainer and gaskets. Good idea except no Marine stores had parts in stock and no one at the warehouse over the long Memorial Day weekend to send them. So had to wait from Saturday until Wednesday for parts to come in - and then they were wrong. I called a distributer I found on-line and had them overnighted. Installed this morning, Thursday, and we hope to leave tomorrow  morning. We miss Gordon and Capt. Ryan from the Daytona Beach store!!

One of several trips...

The Marina: Very close to downtown, but not much of a downtown. Very nice facilities, but the A/C in the showers/laundry/club house was out and still not fixed. It is also geared, as all marinas in town, to sport-fishing. Nice boats, well maintained and (Judie hates this) able to rotate on a dime for docking. On Saturday, a bride and her bridesmaids got dressed on one sport-fisher and then delivered to the wedding along with two groomsmen. We are amazed at the rods and reels used by these guys. Ger asked the cost - $500-2000 just for the reel!

Ever feel like you are in the wrong boat?

Our neighbor!

Mahi for dinner!

Here comes the bride!

 

 

Food: Only a few restaurants this time. By using the loaner car we had good access to the Super Walmart and Harris-Teeter groceries. First was Floyds 1921, in an old house. Simply wonderful! Ger had Oso Buco (?) and Judie had Meat Loaf - both superb but nothing next to the bourbon pecan pie and the death by chocolate deserts. Our friends from Judie's sorority, Bobbie and Julian Phelps, steered us toward "The Sanitary". Odd name, great seafood. Ger had Broiled Blue fish and Judie King Crab. We were sharing a little kiss, when the owner saw us and stopped over and says - "I see some loving going on over here", and proceeds to chat for about 10 minutes. He is the founder (we think) and "helps out the third generation" in keeping the clients happy. What a great guy.

Our table at the Sanitary

Judie trying to avoid blinding sun

Fish trying to avoid the dinner plate.

Beaufort (Bo-fort, so as not to be confused with Bew-ford SC. We are able to borrow a loaner car - $10 for 2 hours, so visited the Maritime Museum in Beaufort while waiting on our parts. There was a great exhibition on Blackbeard and his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, as this was his home port and the ship was sunk just off the inlet. Parts of the ship and artifacts, are in the museum along with lots of displays about his "accomplishments". Also several boats built in the area and across the street was an active building where small wooden boats are still being built today for locals.

An early rescue craft that would hold 11 people lying down - any room for air?

Queen Anne's Revenge

Whale!

Making a display case instead of a boat.

Finished products

Nice "Gingerbread"

May 19-22, 2014 Myrtle Beach SC to Morehead City NC

Day 1: We left Myrtle Beach at 8:00 with a parade of boats. We went the entire day with a boat in sight at all times. We had the sun and wind in our faces all morning as we were headed east all day. Thank God for our polarized sun glasses. We discovered "Active Captain" website which is an interactive site that combines our cruising guide with all it's notes on routes, marinas, shoaling and all such navigation aids with the same Garmin charts on our GPS system. The recent notes by cruisers told us that the many inlets we were traveling this day had been dredged in the spring and markers were adjusted accordingly was invaluable timely information that greatly removed the worry from the day's trip. We now use it every day and it really simplifies planning. We arrived at South Harbor Village Marina in Southport NC shortly after lunch, had a lazy afternoon, and then had a great Italian dinner before hitting the sack.

These docks were empty the day before when we were at the Crab Fest.

Judie likes this one.

Great center window!

The ultimate house

Damn Hurricanes!

Day 2: Nice slow 2 mile run down the waterway to the Cape Fear River before turning north past Wilmington to Seapath Marina in Wrightsville Beach. Tried to time the tide so we could have it's help - but we missed it, along with everyone else, and did 12 miles against a nice tide in the opposite direction. Passed the Marine supply depot for the Atlantic Operations and saw lots of security patrol boats and many signs to "keep you ass away" (my interpretation). Even a "no photo's" sign. "Snow's Cut" from the Cape Fear to the barrier island channels was about 15 minutes of our roughest water yet. Strong current that changed direction mid-way, lots of eddies, and fishermen. When we passed thru, the water turned a beautiful blue-green and remains that way. Nice marina, but Ger came in a little too fast and is thankful for the built-in rub rail that trawlers have. Another learning experience!. No damage.

ICW meets the ocean

The reason for the beautiful water!

Day 3: Good get-away from the dock - SLOWLY. We had several bridges this day, made the first 10 minutes early, did not have to wait for the second bridge since tide was out and we could sneak under it, and had to wait 40 minutes for the third. Just so you know, many low bridges near towns only open on the hour or half hour during the day or at rush hour. Every bridge is different and needs to be part of your planning for the day. Played "Hare and Tortoise" with a new 50 foot sailboat - he would travel faster than us between bridges, but we would catch up when he got there too early or had to wait for an opening. They were on their way to Maine. First half of the day was lots of homes along the shore, and the afternoon was deserted - trees and sea grass. We stopped at Swan Point Marina in Sneads Ferry NC for the night. It is small - 20 boats, rustic, but with great folks! We had a great dinner a t "Riverview Café", but needed a ride to and from. We called the restaurant and the owner, who was at home, came and picked us up and then brought us back after dinner. Restaurant has been in the family for 3 generations.  Some of you may think that we are "eating our way up the ICW" and that was one of our goals, to taste the local food and meet local folks, while not having to cook the evening meal when in port. We did take a nice walk after dinner around the marina yard and the neighborhood.

Smiley Face!

10 foot high Siren trying to capture us....

Jimmy Buffets' home??

We are on the ICW, they are on the Ocean!

Day 4: Ready to go for an 8:00 departure after "Queen Anne's Revenge" left from behind us. We had heard this yacht on the radio several times since Georgia and finally met up with them. The boat name is that of Blackbeard's famous boat - which we learned later in Beaufort NC at the Maritime Museum. Hank. and his wife, Anne, are contributing editors to the Waterway Cruising Guide that we use and are spending the season visiting small marinas along the ICW in Georgia and the Carolinas to review for the guidebook. We made an 8:30 bridge opening 5 miles along, but only because the operator held it for about 7-8 minutes as we ran wide open to get there. The following tide helped also. Passed "Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Military Installation". Saw no marines but heard lots of artillery fire. They often close to ICW when they are using live fire ranges over the ICW or have landing craft maneuvers. Closing can last 2-4 hours. Lucky for us we missed this. Just past Swansboro, we traveled next to the practice field for Harriers doing vertical take-off and landing. Pretty cool to watch! Arrived, slowly, at Morehead City Yacht Basin by mid afternoon; after passing the City port where Judie took the picture of the "Captain Phillips" life boat on the back of freighter being unloaded.

Sunrise over the shrimp boats...beautiful!

Leaving Swan Point in our wake.

Slowing for landing

Our first, and nicest, shrimp boat on Bogue Sound -" The Captain Phillips"!

Ready, set, go!