Crew Log for April 25th – 28th, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Beaufort, NC – Elizabeth City, NC
• Trip Distance of 153.2 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 4,248 NM
Our stop in Beaufort was brief, but we were very thankful to have reconnected with our friends, Bruce and Kay, or is it Kay and Bruce, from sv Willow. We hope to see them again, somewhere.
As is now routine, I get up anywhere between 0500 and 0600 hours. If we’re on the dock, I usually wander up to the washroom, enjoying the peace and quiet and of course, the sunrise. In Beaufort, I heard some unusual sounds coming from the parking lot and wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. As I got a little closer, a group of about a dozen or more men were lying in the parking lot doing exercises, including taking turns carrying a cinder block from one end of the parking lot to the other.
We quietly left the Beaufort Town Docks close to slack tide. Unfortunately, our Navionics charts didn’t have the sandbar in the middle of harbor properly charted, so we bumped a bit getting back out on to the ICW, otherwise, everything went smoothly.
As predicted, it was breezy, aka windy, sunny and warm. This portion of the ICW crosses Pamlico Sound, a large body of water, with the only protection provided by the Outer Banks. Conditions here can get nasty, particularly with winds out of the north east.
As we made our way up the Adams Creek Canal from Beaufort and turned into the Neuse River, which is part of Pamlico Sound, we had 10-15 knots, from the north east, which put it right on the nose. Any sailor will tell you to never, ever sail on a schedule. The weather decides when you go. In our case, we were trying to get to Elizabeth City, 3 days away, before Friday when things were forecasted to turn really ugly. In other words, we were sailing on a schedule.
While the conditions were less than ideal, we decided to roll the jib out and motor sail up the Neuse River, confident that if we could get through this section, things would improve. There was a lot of tacking and while we stayed off the wind as much as we could, it was still rough by times. Once we made the turn and headed towards the Pamilico and Pungo Rivers at the northern end of the Sound, the conditions had improved as did our wind angle, which allowed us to make pretty good time.
We decided to pass on our first and second choices for anchorages and make our way to Slade Creek, off the Pungo River. It was closer to the entrance to the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal, and very well protected. Since the days were getting longer, we could go later into the evening, which allowed us to do 65 nautical mile days. However, coming into an anchorage after a long day, in dim light and having to dodge a mine field of crab pots is tiring. The terns provided some entertainment, and were a welcomed distraction.
It took us a couple of tries to get the anchor to bite, but when it did, it held firm all night. We had great protection from the winds and the currents here were minimal, so it was a pretty comfortable spot. We slept well.
Our Log Notes for this day say, “you know it was a good day, when the blood pressure kit flies off the nav station”. There were a lot of things that flew around the boat on this leg. However, we’re safe, and pleased with our progress.
We had been running the engine pretty hard and started to experience some issues at higher RPMs. If we ran it at lower speeds, it would run all day, but as soon as we brought it up to our normal cruising speed, it would start to labour. The most likely cause was dirty fuel filters, which I didn’t want to change until we got to someplace where we had access to parts and service, if we discovered it was a bigger issue. Until then, we would have to go easier on it, which meant, slower traveling speeds and longer days.
We negotiated our way through the crab pot mine field the next morning and headed for the entrance to the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal. The canal is a 21-mile-long section of the ICW running southwest to northeast, that connects Alligator River to the Pungo River. It is very remote, and if you like nature, it is scenic and you may even spot deer, black bears and alligators. Our friend Daniel on Blue Jazz sent us a picture of a black bear up in tree on his first trip through here in the fall. We weren't so lucky, but did enjoy the trip none the less, with one exception.
Our old “friend” from Let’s Drift was back and the peace and quiet of the Canal was broken with the annoying sound of his boastful pronouncements of passing every boat in front of him, except us of course. And yes, once again, he charged by throwing a wake and sending Elizabeth M into a fit.
The rest of the trip through the canal was pretty uneventful. Judy made cookies and I actually finished my book, given I only had to adjust our course every 5 minutes or so. Leaving the canal, we entered the Alligator River, a long body of water that connects to Albemarle Sound. The Sound is another open stretch that we needed benign conditions to cross. We actually pulled the jib out and motored sailed down the river.
We anchored in Sound Lake, at the end of the Alligator River next to Albemarle Sound. It had good holding and good protection from the north east winds. However, it was a long way off the ICW, through another mass of crab pots. Not what we were looking forward too, after another long day. It was a peaceful spot though and we had the whole place to ourselves. We had a good night’s sleep.
We had covered more than 120 miles over the past couple of days, despite our engine issues, so we were feeling pretty good about our progress. We only had 32 miles to get to our next stop, Elizabeth City, which was across Albemarle Sound from our anchorage.
Elizabeth City is the cultural, economic and educational hub of the Albemarle region of northeastern North Carolina. It has a population of 64,000 in the broader metropolitan area. In addition to being the economic hub for the region, Elizabeth City is also home to many historic sites and cultural traditions.
Elizabeth City is branded as the "Harbor of Hospitality", highlighting its long history of shipping, given its strategic location at a narrowed bend of the Pasquotank River. Founded in 1794, Elizabeth City prospered early on from the Dismal Swamp Canal as a mercantile city. Later it developed industry and other commercial focus. It hosts one of the largest United States Coast Guard bases in the nation.
We started the day in overcast, rainy conditions. We had a damp, lumpy crossing to Elizabeth City, although not uncomfortable.
We snagged the last available spot at the Mid-Atlantic Christian University Free Dock, in downtown Elizabeth City. The dock is adjacent to the University and is managed by the Maritime Ministries. Like most of the free docks, it is a safe place to tie up, but otherwise, services are minimal. There was access to shower facilities in the University’s Library / Chapel / Gymnasium. You were permitted to tie up for a maximum of 48 hours, although if the weather was bad, they didn’t seem to mind if you stayed longer. Captain Dan Smith from the Maritime Ministries and the other staff, were very friendly and were an excellent resource for suggesting local attractions and provisioning options.
The University has a student population of a 200 and most students came there for business, with a minor in bible studies. It was originally established to train ministers for the region, but evolved out of necessity to include a broader focus of study. There were a number of boats on the free dock that were owned by the Maritime Ministries, although I never did understand why they had them. While some were privately owned by the staff, others seemed to be project boats, ultimately destined to deserving owners.
Most of the other transient boats here were “loopers”, including Matt on mv Seaview from Massachusetts. Matt left the Boston area in June of 2022, and was doing the loop on his own. He said his wife wasn’t interested, despite it being a bucket list thing for him. It wasn’t clear how much Matt and his wife have actually seen one another since he left, but he expected to be gone a full 12 months.
We got a quick shower and headed into explore downtown Elizabeth City. It was an interesting place that seems to be undergoing some sort of revival. It had an interesting collection of unique shops, micro pubs and restaurants, in buildings that looked like they had a different purpose in their former life. On the surface, it looked like a town out the 1950’s but had a modern feel when you looked a little closer.
The following morning it poured rain and was very windy so we spent the morning and early afternoon on the boat. Luckily things cleared up in the afternoon and we got out to explore the museum and grab a cocktail at the 2 Souls Wine Bar, which was a really cool spot, with over priced drinks and attractive charcuterie boards.
The Elizabeth City Museum was housed in an impressive building and highlighted the history of the Albemarle area. The displays included a history of the indigenous people as well as a history of the African American population. While we are well versed by now in the history of slavery and the treatment of African Americans in the south, we continue to be moved by displays like the one at the Elizabeth City Museum. Several other displays highlighted the evolution of the commercial fishery, transportation, and commerce in the area.
We took a stroll along the waterfront back towards the boat, realizing we had only scratched the surface of what Elizabeth City had to offer. It looked like the town was setting up to host a major bocce ball tournament on the weekend and there was some activity at Kin’Folk Axe Throwing. But, we had used up our 48 hour stay on the free dock, and we were eager to continue our trek north.
Our route would take us through the Dismal Swamp that, despite its name, is not so dismal at all. The 36 nautical mile trip would normally not be an issue for us to do in a day but as we would find out, our engine would need some attention before we headed out on the Chesapeake.
But more about that, next time.
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