We're off across the Albemarle Sound and conditions are ideal right now. We motored down the North River from Coinjock for 3hours with no wind. As we entered the open waters of the Albemarle, the wind is picking up from the northwest. Ideal for us as that wind is off the starboard quarter and the waves are still mild from the shore protection. We soon secured the engine and were sailing at a good clip across the Sound.
It's only a couple hours across the Sound and that was a good thing as the wind and waves continued to build as we sailed across. You can't see large wave heights in photos but basically we went from 1-2ft to 3-4ft over the 2hr passage. By the time we arrived at the Alligator River entrance, the wind was up to 20-25kts, the waves over 4ft and we were surfing down waves at speeds over 8kt. Given that the maximum hull speed of our boat is 7.2kts, this was impressive and some of the fastest sailing we've ever done. Good thing it was downwind and no bashing, only rocking.
It was a bit tricky doing the S-curve entrance into the Alligator River without jibing the mainsail but, we made it. Inside the protection of the river shore we continued to sail at 7+kts with the waves back down to 1-2ft.
At that speed it was only 20mins to the Alligator River swing bridge. No problem with a timely opening there and we motor-sailed through with the main out and the motor running. Then we secured the engine and sailed 3 hrs down to our anchorage at 7kts. Our best trip yet across the Albemarle.
There are no convenient marinas between Coinjock and Belhaven so, this is the one night we have to anchor out. This is a photo of the shore from our anchorage. We are about 1000ft from shore; it is too shallow to get any closer but, this is close enough to get protection from the big waves being blown down the river from the NW winds. We are tucked up against the northern shoreline and you can see the waves are less than a foot. The wind is forecast to die down after dark and that's what it did. Ready for a frigid night - will let you know how it turned out in the next blog.
