Mayo Seafood, Hobuken, NC 27-29 Oct

 

   We're back at the Mayo Seafood docks in Hobucken, a place we have stayed the last 3 times heading south. Years ago we always passed by here as it is halfway between Belhaven and Oriental or Beaufort but for the last few years we have been transiting south in January and we need places to stop and plug into shore power for heat.  

   Also, they have recently upgraded the dock walkways so it is a bit safer to get on and off the dock.

This trip we are expecting another cold front passing through tonight with wind and rain so we will hold up here for a couple days until the Neuse River settles down. 

   

   Hobuken is a real waterman's locale. There are 4-6 large ocean going shrimp and scallop boats that operate out of here and numerous small fishing boats working the local waters. The mullet were running and these boats were scouting for fish and throwing out nets when they located them.

   The 3 cruising boats staying here overnight all had fresh shrimp for dinner - $6 a pound, caught this morning.

    Wise decision to stay here for the frontal passage. Friday morning it was a only a little breezy and couple boats left, then the wind died completely and it rained heavy (while we were out walking), then it cleared up and the wind came up - really came up. Folks were reporting winds of over 40kts across eastern North Carolina. The trawler that had left, quickly returned to wait out the blow.

   By Saturday, the wind was calm and we got underway for Oriental.

Washington, NC 25-27 Oct

    

   Next stop on our North Carolina cruise was Washington, NC. This is a quaint town on the Pamlico River, situated where cargo would be transferred between boat and wagon or railroad. The waterfront has been completely refurnished with several marinas, a long town down for free overnight dockage with no services, and old port warehouses converted to restaurants and condos. There is a long walking path along most of the waterfront and we can confirm a steady stream of walkers starting about 0600 each morning to after sunset.

   We tied up along the city docks, and were by ourselves for our Monday to Wednesday visit. Except that we sat on the river bottom for several hours when the strong west winds blew the water out, we had a great visit.

   The replica lighthouse is the town marina office. They were super friendly and helpful. We went for a ride on the free loaner bikes you see parked. 

   We spent our two days walking around town. There was plenty to see on the 4 main streets paralleling the waterfront. 

   Pimlico River crabs were a big part of the historic waterman industry. 

   Mornings included a stop a Rachel K's Bakery for coffee and a peanut button chocolate croissant, while afternoons included a stop at Bill's Hotdogs. Both sites were among the highest rated restaurants in town and we confirmed they were great.

   Happy hour time was a stop at Sip and Suds for a Hazy IPA and nachos. Plenty of food for dinner.

   The weather continues to be blue and sunny although it was quite cool and breezy the whole time we were in Washington.

   Soon it was time to hit the "road" again and start moving towards the Neuse River and our ultimate destination of New Bern.  We had light westerly winds to help us back down the Pimlico River.

Elizabeth City - Belhaven 22-24 Oct

 

     After several days of perfect weather, a front was coming through with winds and scattered showers. We stayed at the dock for a couple nights to let the front blow through, while we entertained ourselves with the two walking tours of the city, one of historic houses and the other the historic businesses. We also visited with good friends and a great dinner at the Hoppin Johnz and craft beer at Ghost Harbor Brewing.

   Elizabeth City is a nice, small town and the walking tours were interesting and often amusing. Its interesting to observe the conditions of the towns along the ICW and their struggles to transition from thriving port cities to declining urban centers where most of the money has moved into the suburbs and remote shopping malls. Tourism is one way to bring in money as the towns try to showcase the Coastal Living history and life with large, old houses turning into B&Bs.

   Following the frontal passage, it was time to head on south. We were up with the rising sun for the lengthy trip across the Abermarle Sound, down the Alligator River and through the Alligator-Pungo Canal to the Belhaven area where we would anchor for the night. Several other boats had the same idea and there was a gaggle of us heading down the Pasquotank Sound.

   After a couple hours I made a standard check of all the boat systems and once again found the alternator not charging the batteries. This time it wasnt a fuse problem. The alternator was overheating and barely putting out any output. We decided to turn around and return to Elizabeth City as there is no mechanical help further on for several days.

   Once again it was back to troubleshooting the charging system. We have a spare regulator and spare alternator onboard so were able to swap them out. Unfortunately, that did not solve the problem so it appears we still have a gremlin in the system that is not at all obvious. That is the worse kind of electrical problem.

   At this point we decided we better go back home and get our portable generator which can charge the batteries instead of the engine. Since we were only 2hrs from home by car (3 days by boat), we borrowed a car and were back to the boat that night with generator (and several other items including a hot shower) in hand.  

   Staying in Elizabeth City gave us another night to try the local restaurants (their free dock paying dividends for local businesses). We grabbed a take-out pizza (take-out mainly because of COVID) and ate in the adjacent alley which has been decorated with tables atop decorated fire hydrants. How cute. Towns need to be inventive like Elizabeth City.

  With generator onboard, we were off again for Belhaven and through the Elizaeth City Bridge for the third time in two days.

   With no wind it was a smooth motor across the Albemarle Sound and four hours later we were at the Alligator River Swing Bridge. On this Sunday afternoon there was a great deal of traffic returning from the Outer Banks along this route, but the bridge was able to open without us having to wait only a couple minutes for a group of 3 sailboats to pass through. 

   Its quite unusual for the Albemarle to be this flat but we had the luxury of picking our day to cross.

   By the end of the day we had reached the end of the Alligator - Pungo Canal and were anchored in a protected bay. 

Dismal Swamp Canal - 19-20 Oct

    Underway Tuesday morning, another sky blue day with light westerly winds. Heading for the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) and Dismal Swamp Canal route, first you pass the Norfolk Naval Base on the left. Next comes the Norfolk international container piers, then the coal piers, then the Portsmouth container piers on the left before entering into downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth where the ICW starts - Mile 0 - right amongst the Navy repair shipyards.

 We timed our arrival at the Gilmerton Bridge to be after the morning rush hour closure, but we still got held up for 20 minutes due to heavy road traffic, which made us miss our lock opening, meaning a two hour wait.

   We pulled over at the Chesapeake Yacht Yard to wait. While there I checked our batteries and noted they were not charging from the engine - only solar and wind.  

   Several calls to Balmar Alternators and a couple hours troubleshooting and we determined we had one bad fuse and one loose one. All fixed, but by this time it was too late to enter the canal and ensure a secure place to stop for the night so we decided to stay right at the Chesapeake Yacht docks.

   Next morning we were the only boat going through the 0900 Deep Creek Lock opening. With no wind on another beautiful day it is an easy process to get in the lock and secure for the 8foot rise. 

Robert is no longer the Lockmaster after suffering a heart attack last year but his replacement, Neal, is fitting right in to fill his shoes. He was super friendly and helpful.

   With zero wind conditions, the canal surface was like a mirror. We took lots of pictures depicting the remarkable mirror appearances. This photo made it into the Island Packet annual calendar for 2022. The colors were incredibly vibrant.

   At the south end of the canal the South Mills lock takes you back down 8ft to the level of the Abermarle Sound in NC. With still no wind, this was a smooth procedure and we were still the only boat passing through.

   South of the canal and locks you enter the Pasquotank River taking you to Elizabeth City, NC.  This river is one of the prettiest section of the ICW as it winds it way through the Bald Cyprus forest. We didn't see any bald eagles this time but have in the past. We also didn;t see any snakes in the river as we have in prior transits.

 The great weather continues and makes us glad we planned this October transit instead of our normal January departure.

   Elizabeth City has several free docks where there are no services but a safe place to tie up and explore the town - and spend money in the stores and restaurants. We tied up at the Mid-Atlantic Christian University docks which are well protected from storm winds.

 

Underway from Dare for New Bern, NC

 Underway from Dare Marina for our trip South, first leg of the journey to New Bern, NC. 

   We were able to make all our departure arrangements, food and supplies storage aboard and house secured for our absence by noon on Monday. That gave us a half a day to start making progress south and we get to our first anchorage at Fort Monroe, Hampton.

   The weather was perfect for our first day with blue skies and moderate winds from the northwest that would push us southward.

 

  It takes about an hour to motor out of Chisman Creek and down the Poquoson River to the Chesapeake Bay but soon we were able to unfurl the sails and start our sailing journey. We were able to sail most of the way down to Hampton as we made our way around the Poquoson Flats and ultimately southward. 

 

   The Captain was happy to be sailing on a great day but Rivah was super content to be back at sea with all the new smells and salt air.

      As you approach the Norfolk Harbor, all the wind, water and traffic compress to flow through the Hampton Roads channel. The wind had wrapped around to on our nose and our favorable tidal current was now opposing us. Cargo ships coming into port and tugs and barges departing.

   At the Hampton Roads entrance sits Fort Monroe, the 1800s protective fort guarding the entrance to Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News. The Fort is now a national monument and the grounds have been turned over to Hampton for tourism and recreation.

The former US Army Base marina has been privatized. The adjacent anchorage area, protected from the open Chesapeake Bay remains an ideal spot to spend a quiet night.

   We were soon securely anchored and enjoying our successful first day cruising southward. Wind and sun kept the batteries charged and all was happy on Tides Inn.

New Anchor Chain - Preparing for the Bahamas

    After 12 years of frequent use (and not enough frequent fresh water washings) it was time to replace our rusty anchor chain. The links were rusting excessively and besides losing some strength, they were making a mess of rust particles on the deck every time we anchored.

   To offload/onload the 250lbs of chain, we have to pull in to the marina launch basin where we can drive our truck up to the water's edge. We can only pull into the launch basin after hours, so we came in at the end of the day and did the chain swap in the dark.

   200ft of 5/16ths inch High Strength chain successfully loaded up. The new, clean chain slides right down the ramp without "castling up" and jamming the windlass. The First Mate will be thrilled with not having to run below and pull the chain down into the locker.

   While we had the old chain out, we washed and flushed out all the rust and mud/sand collected in the chain locker over the last 10 years. Now I need to pump the last bit of that muddy water out of the main bilge. 

  Just about ready to push off for our trip to the Bahamas this winter. We head to New Bern, NC, in next couple weeks.

   Also changed all the oil, fuel filters, coolant, etc, preparing for our 6-month voyage. 

Back in the Water

    Today was "splash day" as Tides Inn went back into the water after our 30 days of regular maintenance. Except for the boot stripe paint, the hull was in good condition and only needed a light sanding and repainting.

 

   We raised the water line nearly 2 inches because the new, heavier batteries had caused a slight heel to port and we were getting barnacles growing on the boot stripe on that side. We now have 2 inches of bottom paint showing, but that is with the water tank empty (1000lbs of water when loaded) and minimal stores of food onboard. We will be fully loaded when heading for the Bahamas this winter.

   There was no wind for our trip back to Dare Marina, but we were joined by a group of 10-12 dolphins in the York River. We always consider dolphin visits as good luck since they never show up when its bad weather.