MM 58

We left Dowry Creek Marina (DCM) early this morning.

It’s a small, family owned marina with experienced staff, an on-site restaurant that serves decent bar food (dinners on the weekends only) and a loaner Ford that we used to drive into Belhaven NC yesterday. It’s also renowned for having the lowest fuel price on the ICW, and a heated saltwater pool that wasn’t open yet :( 

One of the best features of DCM: clean, updated individual shower bathrooms with courtesy towels. It’s  the little things that make a difference.









Today was a long one, with a 74 mile jog over 9 hours. It helped that motor sailing and sailing for a couple of hours could be worked into the route, with favorable winds and a crossing of the Albemarle Sound. We reached 8.2 knots a few times, allowing us to cover some ground faster than expected.

Along the way, we passed an interesting swing bridge that had 2 lanes for passing through:


Albemarle Sound is kind of like the Chesapeake Bay - an expansive amount of water, but fairly shallow except for prescribed channels (which even then are only 10-14 feet deep in most places!).

We were passed by several powerboats, most of whom called us on the radio in advance and proceeded with a “slow pass.” It’s the polite thing to do, for sure. We did the same when we overtook a sailboat on the Pungo-Alligator Canal.

Our route since we left Beaufort NC on Sunday. 
Note that some areas are out of range of AIS (Automated Information System, which transmits a ship’s position)

Captain Don chose an anchorage on the North River, on the north side of the Sound. We only have 8 miles to travel tomorrow to reach Coinjock, and there is a chance of storms so we plan to be at the dock ahead of them. The wind was supposed to drop to about 6mph this evening, but we are seeing 18 knots on the instruments and we are rocking quite a bit. 

Stay tuned….

Comments

  1. RozenaJune 16, 2024 at 9:47 PM

    Wow, a long sail today!! Those swing bridges are interesting you have had several of those so far. Water looks pretty, but can tell you have some winds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RozenaJune 16, 2024 at 9:51 PM

      Picking up where I left off. Have been busy with preparations to leave Vero & getting back to NC

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Almost home…

Image
We left Solomons, with the intention of anchoring on the West River, around 9am. The temperature was in the high 50s, and the wind picked up over the first couple of hours. Then it became misty and visibility began to deteriorate. No photos today, as very few boats were even on the Bay and the conditions were lousy. We sailed initially, making about 6 knots. Then we motored sailed, consistently around 8.5 and even hitting 9.2. Once we made it to Hartge Yacht Harbor in a damp 55° breeze and saw the mooring field, the First Mate made a quick call about catching a ball. When a slip was offered, with electricity to run the heat, we wisely opted for a slip. It’s a comfortable marina, and we have been invited to join slipholders coffee and donuts tomorrow morning before we leave. Kudos to Brad, the Harbormaster, for lassoing the piling for us as we tied up! We met our friends Larry and Lauren at the dock. They are JSO members and Hartge is their home marina. They kindly hosted us to dinner a...
Read more

Anchoring in Mile Hammock

Image
 MM 244 While we passed 4 four dredges today, two of which were operational with hundreds of feet of pipeline, our transit was uneventful. Dredging is necessary to maintain the channels for commercial and pleasure craft, especially where shoaling is prevalent caused by ocean inlets nearby. We also passed under a swing bridge and a drawbridge. Openings were timed, so we had to be mindful of the schedule and gauge our arrivals accordingly.  The highlight of the day started when we anchored at Mile Hammock, a bay used by Marines at Camp Lejeune for training. On occasion, the ICW is closed here for marine activities. We called in advance yesterday (the Marines provide a phone number, which seems a bit low-tech ) and we were informed that no closures were scheduled for this week. Our anchorage for the night We were able to observe divers in the water with chase boats for almost four hours. The divers are really impressive, swimming long distances underwater with small orange buoys ...
Read more

Family Time is The Best Time

Image
It was a wonderful day for spending time with my Mom, Matt, Becca, Charlie and Ella!  We walked around Beaufort NC and visited the local Farmers Market in the morning. There was a terrific selection of handmade items, produce and crafts. I purchased fresh micro green arugula, which is both tasty and nutritious. Charlie and Ella got tie dye shirts, Ella got arm warmers (?!) and looked very retro.  We shopped, and had lunch at Finz on Front Street. We spent the afternoon on the boat, relaxing and catching up on family news and events.  Someone managed to take a nap… We drove to Morehead city for dinner at Catch 109 . Morehead City is a well-known jumping off point for serious sport fishing. Charlie and Ella came back with us to the boat, while Becca and Matt picked up some items from the hotel.  Matt and Becca joined us, and after a quick trip to The General Store for ice cream, the sun set over Beaufort NC.
Read more