Little River, SC to Osprey Marina, SC

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

This morning we thought we were in no hurry to depart from our anchorage.  Though the wind had howled during the night, and there is a fair current running through Little River, we were tucked in a great place, protected from the seas, if not the wind.

As we were approaching high tide for the inlet, there were coastal flood warnings out for the area.  The super moon and other astronomical factors, plus a NE wind just kept the water coming in.

I looked up and saw a huge wooden box that had been high and dry in the marsh the day before begin to float, and then to beeline in our direction.  We picked up the anchor and moved as sticks, branches, and debris that had been on high ground came free into the waterway.

We idled past the houses near the inlet, not willing to drive the water an inch higher from the boat's movement.  The current pushed us all the way to Osprey marina.

The trawler Osprey, who had been anchored further towards the inlet than we had, crept along with us.

We went though the high waters, and yelled at one large outboard who was running past the houses in a squat position.  I saw one sign someone had put up that said, "If you want to plow, buy a farm."

Some angry neighbors tried to hail a sportfishing boat that was in a hurry, and for a while I wondered if they'd be at the next bridge with the sheriff.

Other than that, I think much traffic stayed off the waterway for the day, to let the wind blow, and the waters recede.

We pulled into Osprey Marina shortly after noon, arriving to a warm welcome by the friendly dockmaster, Myles.  What a gorgeous setting the marina is in.  I love the big trees around the marina, that is just far enough to be protected from the wakes of the ICW.  They showed me how high the water had been two weeks earlier from the 1000 year flood.  

Topsail Sound, NC to Little River, SC

Monday, 26 October 2015

The wind blew out of the west for awhile, the NW, and finally the NE.  I was surprised that there was enough current to keep us held between the 20 kt wind and the current.  Where we were anchored was pretty calm, and great holding.  Good thing, because I think we swung 480 degrees during the course of the night.

The tides were high with the supermoon, October, and the NE winds.

The Wilmington Office of the Corps of Engineeers has figured out how to make documents that are easy for boaters with tablets/iPads to use.  Their link http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/HydrographicSurveys/InletsCrossings.aspx provides recent survey results for lots of places, including the channel to get out from the opposite direction than I came in.  Sigh.  My weakness has always been, a new boat and a new place to go....  We looped around through Topsail Sound and up Topsail Creek to where it joined the ICW channel.  It was fun to go a different way, but, it would have saved time if I had back-tracked out the way I had come in!

Our trip down the Cape Fear River was the fastest I've ever made!  With the wind on our stern, and the dam still releasing massive amounts of water, and the tide falling... our trawler was a speed boat!

We turned into the ditch again at Southport, and continued westward.  The local sheriff's boat had a USCG boarding team aboard, and they were boarding a lot of boats.  They met us, turned fell in beside us, then along side us, and then went on their way.  I was glad for the 2015 Vessel Safety Inspection sticker in my port window!

We eventually pulled into the Little River, to the south of the ICW, and anchored in a deep area, to the bank side of #18, out of the channel.  We were in an area protected from the seas, though not the winds.  The winds were forecast to blow NE @ 25kts, and we arrived late enough that I wasn't expecting much more traffic going through.  

We watched the high water on the marsh as the skies darkened.  We were in a good spot.

Adams Creek, NC to Topsail Sound, NC

Sunday, 25 October 2015

We departed our anchorage in Adams Creek before daylight, determined to make a high mileage day.  I wanted to get the boat south to a good place for me to drive to spend a couple of days with my Dad.

We bucked a head current until Morehead City.

Camp LeJeune had told us there would be no live firing today, and there were a lot of small boats fishing through that area.  We went around a 50' vessel that was turned sideways to the current, resting on a sandbar by 61A, where a helmsman had (I'm guessing) misread the markers, and failed to heed the temporary markers.

Knowing that everyone makes mistakes, and hating to leave a fellow cruiser stranded, I called him on the radio on a couple of different channels, but, got no answer.  After I'd gone another mile, I just couldn't shake the bad feeling I had of leaving the boat stranded, and called again.  That time he answered, and I went back and towed them off.  

Fortunately, there was a good Samaritan on a small boat to bring us a towline.  They had been trying for some time to get the vessel off.  Folks who know me, know that I'm inclined to be blunt when giving instructions (but not misunderstood!) After dodging the good Samaritan boat, who thought it was necessary that he help me pull, I told him the way he could help the most was to stand clear.  One look from Ellen told me I'd been a little too blunt.  The guy was only trying to help.

I called the boat over, and said the way they could help me most was for one to come aboard the MERCY, and give me a hand with the lines. After a few minutes, I discovered the one who'd come aboard was the hired delivery captain of the stranded vessel.  The owner was onboard.  Uh oh.  I never asked who had been at the helm.

We towed the boat off, and the good Samaritan boat returned the delivery captain to the vessel to begin the process of getting the sand out of the strainers and jets.  I towed them to the east until I had enough room to make a swing to tow them in the direction we had all been headed originally, and we wiggled around the villain sandbar.

And through the swing bridge.

Finally, I made sure they could manuever on the one engine they had cleared out (their port engine) well enough to make two stbd turns into Mile Hammock anchorage.

They passed us later that afternoon, running well.  We caught them by the next bridge.  I felt like the tortoise and the hare.  We went through the bridge, and a little further down to anchor for the night in Topsail Sound.

Alligator River to Adams Creek

Saturday, 24 October, 2015

This morning we began a little before sunrise, hoping to get in front of the slower moving sailboats for the trip down the Aliigator/Pungo River Canal.  When I started in the canal, I had a trawler, and more sailboat masts than I could count behind me.  

It was REALLY nice being first in the line, enjoying the reflections on the water, and the mist rising up in the early morning!

I let the boats behind me know when I passed a few deer.  The first ones I didn't get a photo of, but, you can tell by this "deer butt" photo that they could care less about the passing boats!  I don't think she even looked at us!

We continued out the Pungo River, and at some point during the day decided to cover as much ground as possible today, to put me in a position to drive to my Dad's later this week.

We crossed the Pamllico River, with the wind on our stern, and Goose Creek and its canal, and across the Neuse River, still with the NE wind on our stern, into Adams Creek.  We would not have had such an easy day had the wind not been on our stern.

I anchored in Cedar Creek, between a trawler and a sailboat, both anchored on chain, expecting the winds to change during the night.  The sailboater, Luna Sea, was alarmed at our proximity, and I moved, rather than having someone on their vessel lose sleep at night.  

I go through quite anchoring ritual.  I make a full circle of the area I want to place my anchor, looking at depth AND bottom composition.  OK, sometimes, I make a couple of circles.  Then, I drop the hook in the middle of the circle, setting the waypoint for my anchor alarm.  I let out some scope, until the vessel begins to lay with the current or the wind, and then let out however much I desire.  Then, I put a bridle hook on, let the chain out until the strain is on the bridle, and back down on the engine.  I won't say that I have NEVER drug anchor, but in the THOUSANDS of nights I've anchored, I certainly wasn't worried about my proximity to the sailboat, which, by the way, I had stayed clear of if HIS anchor had drug down on me when the wind changed.  Oh well.

We anchored right below Cedar Creek, on the east side of the channel, and enjoying a gorgeous evening.

South Mills to the Alligator River

Friday, October 23, 2015

Around 0800 this morning, we saw the gang with Wally, and the Sail to the Sun group, with their masts approaching the bridge.  We prepared the boat to go into the locks that would open after the 0830 bridge, placing the trawler ADIRONDACK, and the MERCY, first and second in the locks.  I'm not sure how many eventually crammed into the locks, but, the lockmaster told me that was the most he had ever had in a single lock.

I was so glad to be in front of the slower moving sailboats, and not having the gorgeous view impaired by boats in front.  I dropped back far enough from the Adirondack to enjoy the view, and get some great photos.  

We waited for a bit at the Elizabeth City bridge, where the construction crew had to stop their work, and lift the new span a few feet to allow us through.  I warned them about the sailboats several miles behind us, when they would have to raise the bridge completely to clear the masts.

The ADIRONDACK decided to stop in Elizabeth City, while we decided to press on.  We went a few extra miles out of the way to catch a good downwind run across the Abermarle Sound, and into the Alligator River.

Although the wind was blowing on our stern at 15-20kts, we had a great ride down the Alligator, and anchored for the night around the bend, protected from the NE winds, which by then had laid down greatly, with about a dozen other boats, spread along the windward side of the channel, protected from the seas by the low marsh.

We grilled supper, and called it an early night.

Norfolk Sailing Center To South Mills

Thursday, October 22, 2015

We pulled away from the marina this morning in the dark, around 0600, to make one of the three daily scheduled openings of the Beltline Railroad Bridge.  More about that in a moment!

Coming through Norfolk is interesting, with all its huge naval ships, and some other ships as well.  This was the first time I've managed this stretch of water that it was calm, which made it all the more enjoyable.

By 0815, we were maneuvering to be first through the bridge, though I am told there were a total of 70 boats in line to make the 0900 opening.  We were not concerned with the height of the Gilmerton Bridge, which waited until all the sailboats were lined up to open.  

We went on the ICW route, past the turn off to the Dismal Swamp, in order to take on fuel at Top Rack Marina, which had diesel for $1.92/gal including tax!  By the time we were done fueling, half a dozen of the vessels that had been behind us were lined up waiting for dockspace at Top Rack.  

When we finished taking on fuel, we tracked back about a mile to take the Dismal Swamp route.  Ellen was disappointed in the rainy weather we had had on our previous transit, and wanted to do it in good weather.  

There were so many vessels lined up for the southbound lock that they made two lock openings for "1100."  We were 7th in line for the second lock.  The first lock of boats was released into the area between the lock and a bridge, and had to wait until the second lock of boats were through before the single lock master/bridge tender finished one job so he could do the next.

That put 20 vessels in a line, and we were about #17.  Ten of those boats were traveling together with "Sail to the Sun," a guided group trip down the ICW to Miami.  

The Dismal Swamp is a beautiful place, with a lot of interesting history.  I've wrote some about it before, so won't repeat it again.  The water levels were high, and the trees had been cleaned up pretty good since the blow.  It was a little irritating that I was behind an underpowered catamaran sailboat, driven by an outboard, that constantly changed speed, and eventually turned off at the Douglas Road dock, where we had talked about stopping.  It didn't surprise me that he went to the middle of the dock, since he was the sort of guy who had ignored all the lock masters instructions as well.  I gritted my teeth and kept going.

Next, we planned to stop at the Visitor's Center where the raft ups are always fun, but changed our mind before we got there, due to the abundance of boats.  I got the boats waiting to raft up to move over a little, and wiggled around them and through the pedestrian swing bridge, hoping against hope the bridge tender would open the bridge allowing us to dock between the bridge and the lock, in South Mills.  He did!  Which is thanks in a large part to Jeff, on the trawler, Adirondack, who I'd talked to on the VHF earlier in the day, but, had never met.  When the bridge tender asked if he needed an opening, said that he was waiting for me!

The bridge tender opened the bridge when he saw me coming, and the MERCY and ADIRONDACK tied along the bulkhead at South Mills, in a nice protected area between the bridge and the lock.  We were able to get off the boat, and walk around a bit, and had the opportunity to meet Jeff and Sally, who I instantly liked.

We had a gorgeous evening, nice weather, and even had television from Norfolk still, with our little window antenna.  What a nice place.