Destination Charleston

Cypress Swamp (ICW)

The only lock on the ICW at Great Bridge

While it hasn’t been long since our last post, a great deal has happened.  We ended our time in the Inter-coastal Waterway (ICW) or “the ditch” with a good two-day stay in Beaufort (pronounced bo-fort), NC.  We took a slip at the Beaufort Docks right off the main street of a lovely downtown.  Kay had shops to visit and I enjoyed some very fine food.  The flash-fried flounder at Beaufort Grocery Company was absolutely the best fish I’ve ever eaten!

Downtown Beaufort, NC

The ICW from Norfolk to Beaufort was tedious; shallow, narrow, and a fairly tight channel.  Four days @ 50 miles a day was as much cypress swamp and marsh as we needed to see.  The good news is that since the weather was poor and the trip around Hatteras would have been uncomfortable/dangerous, we are glad we navigated the ICW. 

Richard looking good in his loaner Buick
Roadmaster....when America knew
how to make a car!

Sunday we left Beaufort and began the 40-hour sail to Charleston.  Winds were out of the WNW so we only had one tack in two days.  We sailed 95% of the way, using ole Perkins only to go in and out of harbors and for a short windless period in the middle of our first night.  We passed Frying Pan Shoals off Cape Fear at midnight on Sunday (an area known for challenging weather)           uneventfully.

Monday afternoon provided us with a treat. At about 3:00 PM we were visited by a pod of at least 20 dolphins for about an hour.  They were playful, surfing in our wake, and trying to splash us.  Murray didn’t know what to make of our visitors and barked loudly at them.  While I am sure that our experience is common to others, it was thrilling for us.  What grace and beauty these animals have. 

As night began to fall, we continued to Charleston ahead of schedule.  Yes, Dennis and Sue – ahead of schedule! Averaging 7 knots much of the way is not what we planned for so we faced a night arrival in Charleston Harbor.  The approach to the harbor is 5 miles long, well marked, and heavily travelled by 900’+ container ships. Good radio communication, GPS, and AIS make these encounters far safer and better coordinated than you might think.  Once in Charleston Harbor, we went up the Ashley Channel, passed Fort Sumter and into our berth at Charleston City Marina.  At 12:45 PM, celebrated with a toast and crashed. 

We are looking forward to a full month here in Charleston, visiting family and enjoying this historic city.  We’ve never been a slip in one place for so long and are looking forward to the experience.  

Heading for SC

It has been a big week on our voyage. Today we arrived in Beaufort, NC.   We enjoyed our time in the Chesapeake.  What a magnificent body of water.  There are so many creeks, rivers and bays to explore.  We only scratched the surface.  It is an area with so much history, so many stories, and such beauty.  We were fortunate to be in Oxford when the migration of geese was on overdrive.  Being in the midst of a fly way is spectacular to see. 

Dry docked Carrier....amazing!

Entering the lock at Great Bridge, VA

We met a number of fellow travelers, including “live aboards” like us.  Socializing is a big part of traveling via water. We anticipate crossing paths again as we move south.  We sailed into Hampton Roads as we prepared to enter the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) at Norfolk, VA.  Norfolk is home to the largest Navy base in the world (at least that's what they claim).  We passed docked navy ships for over a mile as we progressed down the beginning of the ICW.  The ships were being refurbished, refitted, painted and upgraded.  Two aircraft carriers were under construction and a few were in dry dock.  We anchored off Hospital Point and had a good night's sleep before our first full day in the ICW. 

Time to get out of the way

There are three basic ways to move south via boat.  One is to travel all 1090 miles of the ICW.  The second is to sail on the outside down the coast.  The third is a combination of the first two.  We decided to enter the ICW and travel south as far as Morehead City.  This will enable us to avoid rounding Cape Hatteras.  The waters off Hatteras tend to be very challenging with the Gulf Stream coming its closest to the coast, opposing winds, and strong currents and we are in the midst of a mini nor-easter which might not be the best time to tackle Hatteras.  Five days into the ICW we are moving about 50-60 miles per day.  While this may not seem like much, it really makes for a long day of navigating from buoy to buoy.  The channels are narrow, the waters shallow and areas remote.  While we have been able to sail in some of the larger sounds, we are primarily motoring in most of the ICW.   Much of the trip in North Carolina has been through cypress swamps and marshland.  There is limited opportunity to get off the boat, much to Murray’s dislike.    With a our arrival in Beaufort, we will leave the intercoastal for a two-day sail “outside” to Charleston, SC. 

Ahhhhhh

With the weather on our side, we will pop out on Saturday and be sailing around the clock for a few days.  We have a reservation at the Charleston City Marina for one month.  This will be a time to visit family and for Kay to be a full-time grandma.  We are so looking forward to time with Jason, Amy, Ben and Liam.  We are also excited to have visitors including  Rachel and Pat, Chad and Tara, and our close friend Conrad.

We are settling in to our life aboard and look forward to all that is ahead.

Waters traveled to date:

·      RI Sound

·      Fisher I Sound

·      Long Island Sound

·      East River (NYC)

·      New York Harbor

·      North Atlantic (NJ Coast

·      Delaware Bay

·      Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

·      Chesapeake Bay

·      Norfolk River (VA)

·      Elizabeth River (VA)

·      Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal (VA)

·      North Landing River (VA and NC)

·      Coinjock Bay (NC)

·      North River (NC)

·      Albermarle Sound (NC)

·      Alligator River (NC)

·      Alligator and Pungo River Canal (NC)

·      Pungo River (NC)

·      Pamlico River (NC)

·      Upper Spring Creek (NC)

·      Bay River

·      Newport River

Sailing in the Chesapeake

Atalanta anchored off the CC Station at Cape May

Our time in Cape May was extended by a day due to weather.  When traveling from Cape May up Delaware Bay one must be aware of both wind and current.  Our winds were on the nose (from the north) and current was from the south.  When you have the wind and current moving in opposing directions, there is a steep chop and big waves (up to 8 feet).  While progress was slow, we made our way up the bay for a wonderfully peaceful anchorage up the Cohansey River.  While this was our first night of “gunkholing” it would not be our last.  

Cape May Victorian

Welcome to Cape May

Once through the Delaware Bay, we entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (the C & D).  While this canal is not the most scenic, it is relatively short.  Within 4 hours, we were entering the Chesapeake Bay.  The Sassafras River and Turner Creek provided us shelter and a wonderful sunset.  As we sailed south to the Annapolis area.  After picking up a mooring in the Back Creek we were joined by Linda and Jim for an afternoon sail and evening dining aboard.  This was a reunion for Richard with his long time friend and graduate school advisor.  A very special night!

Annapolis Bridge

Bob on Morris Point
Eastern Shore of Maryland

Sailing in the Choptank River

Bob, Joanne, Kay and Murray

While Annapolis is a port worth spending time in, the boat show was coming up in a week or so and the harbors were getting quite busy.  With this in mind, we decided to continue south to the eastern shore and the Choptank and Tred Avon River area.  Once in Oxford, Bob and Joanne joined us for three days of sailing, , gunkholing and just catching up.  We truly enjoyed our time with our DC based friends.  We discovered a wonderful cove just behind Morris Point and had a fabulous night. 

While in Oxford, we decided to have the Oxford Boat Yard look at a few items that need attention including our battery charging and AC.  We should be back on the road in a day or so.  Its time to move to the lower Chesapeake and enter the intercoastal waterway.  We should be there in less than a week.  The plan is to go through the ICW behind Cape Hatteras and then sail on the outside to Charleston.  Time will tell as weather determines all.

If you wish to follow our progress, in addition to this blog you can track our progress on a sight called marinetraffic.com.  Look for Atalanta.

Oxford, Maryland

Mid-Atlantic Bound

As planned (which a great deal of sailing is not) we departed Bristol and had a successful trip to Mamaroneck, NY.  On the way we spent time at Block Island, Stonington, Port Jefferson, and Darien.  It was great to spend a few days with Mom and visit with Mark and Noah before heading offshore. We had a 6:00 AM start from Mamaroneck on Thursday, motored through the East River and around the Battery before dropping Mark off near his neighborhood.  With a “touch and go” we were off into the heart of New York Harbor.  This is one busy place with water taxis, ferries, pleasure boats, and very large commercial ships all criss-crossing the harbor in every direction. We rounded Sandy Hook and headed south for our first overnight sail bound for Cape May at the southern tip of NJ which is home to a reasonably vibrant commercial fishing industry and many sport fisherman.

Rounding the Battery

The sail From NYC to Cape May took approximately 35 hours.  It began with a spectacular view of Lower Manhattan and the new Freedom Tower which redefines the skyline.  Once past the Battery, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island add to departure in ways difficult to describe.  The cruise past Coney Island and under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is only surpassed by entry into the Atlantic.  From there, it’s a straight shot down the coast.  Our first overnight sail brought 15-20 kt winds and 3-4 foot seas.  It was a bit bouncy but a decent sail.

Ellis Island

Reached Cape May just after sunset and felt our way between the breakwaters to the inner harbor where we dropped the hook, had a night cap and called it a day.  Saturday is a stay put day while we are docked at the South Jersey Marina.  We will visit town, do a few boat repairs (never lacking for those), and relax.  Tomorrow brings another early start to reach Delaware Bay and the C & D Canal, our gateway to the Chesapeake.  We are looking forward to “gunk-holing” our way through the Bay and visiting with friends while in the DC area.

Life is good.

Leaving New York Harbor for Points South