The Second Day

We are now motoring through the Alligator River-Pungo River canal. This isn’t a real-time post because there is no cell service and probably won’t be until we get to the Neuse River. Hard to believe that there are actually places without cell service. So despite all the advertising, nobody is everywhere.

It is still hard to believe that we are actually underway and that this is the real beginning to the rest of our lives together. Is still hasn’t fully sunk in that we don’t have to return to go to work or that today is Friday and there is a weekend coming. That this trip will just go on. Part of the reason for the lack of revelation is that the last year was so eventful with fixing up the houses, selling them, buying a boat and trying to sell our other one. Not to mention the last several months of working on the new boat. We transformed this boat into what will be for us a very comfortable long-term home.

The past 48 hours have been hectic, enjoyable, daunting and underwhelming for such a dramatic beginning. For several hours after we left Oxford the wind was passive so we elected to motor. I also wanted to be sure we made it to Norfolk by Thursday morning to avoid bad weather coming in, the cold and to get to Cherry Point to see my grandkids. We motored through the night and with the benefit of the main sail, strong northerly winds and steep following seas we crossed the Hampton Bridge-Tunnel at Norfolk before 0600 in darkness and got into the Elizabeth River as day was dawning. We made it from Oxford to Hampton in less than 15 hours. But not without an issue.

Several hours after we left while we were navigating around a barge I noticed the engine seemed to be running rough but we kept on hoping that it clear itself or reveal the problem. We thought about pulling in somewhere but that would set us back a day probably and bad weather is coming. The engine continued acting like it was gasping for fuel and I realized I could not accelerate anymore so I guessed that the fuel filters were getting clogged since the previous owner had very old fuel in the system. At that point we discussed and agreed to press on to Norfolk and we could sail if we had to and then call Towboat US if necessary. Well, the motor labored on losing power until we stopped in Portsmouth and tied up to a dock where I changed the filters and we were off on our way.

So, instead of making the first opening after rush hour at Gilmnerton we were an hour behind. We made it through the lock and bridges in the Tidewater area and sprinted to Coinjock, NC making it just after 1700. And just before dark. We made it from Oxford, MD to Coinjock, NC in 26 hours.

Last night at Coinjock Linda made a really nice pasta dinner and salad that we enjoyed with a celebratory bottle of wine and after cleaning up fell asleep on the couch from the 2 days of traveling. During the night on the Bay neither of us really got any sleep with the slalom sailing and the engine issue plus it was cold. We started out with the generator on and a heater in the cockpit but once it got rough we had to stop the generator. It might have run off the inverter but I didn’t want to burn it out.

Tonight we plan to anchor in the Pungo River and then on to Cherry Point tomorrow. Motoring today was pretty uneventful although traveling is challenging many places in the ICW because the channel is not very wide and the consequences of getting outside are severe. The marks aren’t always in the deep water. Coming down through Currituck Sound yesterday we almost had to find the channel by feeling. Out in the Albemarle Sound this morning we tended to drift a bit as the wind and current blew us off course so we constantly needed to correct our heading.

The ICW is challenging and it helps to have experience before venturing into it. But, of course the only way to get experience is actually doing it. Lots of people just do it and get into trouble. Lots of people just do it and do ok. If you don’t have a schedule it can really be fun. When we took our 380 south we had a schedule both ways because we were working. Our only schedule now is to stay ahead of the cold.

Motoring down the Alligator River in NC