Whoever said getting there is half the fun?

After analyzing the weather and currents we decided to leave Cherry Point on Sunday 23 October for Charleston. Planning an itinerary is difficult when the distance is too much for one day but not enough for two which was the case going from Cherry Point to Charleston. If we left early in the morning the day of departure we would probably get to Charleston sometime in the overnight the following day. So with an eye toward currents we decided to leave Cherry Point early afternoon on Sunday that would get us into Charleston Tuesday morning but not too early.

Surveying the weather it looked like we might have favorable winds to sail with a slight chop all that would be very welcome. So after saying goodbye to my son Jeremy and his wife Regina we made ready and departed about 1400 Sunday afternoon knowing that we would be offshore before dark.

We had a favorable current going down the Neuse River but caught the end of the incoming tide in much of Adams Creek. As we got into the Newport River the tide turned and we motored very quickly offshore aided by the current as darkness began to fall. The forecast was for West or Northwest winds that would have been very favorable but as we came down the Newport River I sensed they were more Southwest as the morning TV weatherman had forecasted so I was hoping things might change once we got offshore.

Passing Fort Macon, NC just off Morehead City, NC.

Once we got offshore I tried to turn on the radar because several of the marks in the Beaufort shipping channel were off station and a dredging operation was setup offshore. I found that our radar was not reporting. It worked fine earlier in the week but I had not checked it the day before we left. To make matters worse the wind was squarely southwest in the direction we were headed and the chop was coming straight at us. Over the night we took wave after wave over the bow and at times were only able to make 2-3 kts. So I pulled out the mainsail and fell off to get some lift and we powered our way on crossing the Frying Pan Shoals early in the morning. Once through the shoals we turned due west and pulled out the staysail for additional power in an effort to get closer to shore for less chop.

Sunset offshore of NC before the surf began to build.

Crossing the shoals took us far offshore so it was a long slog back into shore. With the heavy surf I didn't want to chance cutting the shoal in areas where there are reported 4-5' depths and it would have been dark trying to go into Masonboro Inlet with the rough seas so we opted to go on outside. Once we turned the seas continued higher. The predicted 2-3' seas were easily 6-8' with some waves higher. In our slog back in we lost a boat hook (second one this year) and our autohelm broke.  With our autopilot disabled we had to hand steer the rest of the way to Charleston (about another 24 hours) but I was able to trim up the sails and use the wheel break to hold close to course and by mid-afternoon we were close to shore and much calmer seas.

We heard cruisers on the radio who were trying to come offshore talking to each other and they were all turning around and staying inside on the ICW because of the rough conditions. We got a radio call from our good friend Dave Sikes who was on the inside and looking to come out and he made it out at Little River Inlet and we followed him all the way to Charleston.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful and the wind finally switched and we were able to sail for about 5 hours overnight until time to turn in the channel at Charleston where we pulled down the sails. We could have and should have sailed in but I'm reluctant to sail in channels I'm not familiar with that have lots of commercial traffic such as Charleston so we motored to our slip arriving about 930 .




Sailing in to Charleston Harbor under nice sun after a rough passage.

We made it successfully but with more damage than ever before due to the rough seas. We lost a boathook, we had no radar, we lost our autohelm and in at least one of the waves we submarined we took water through the dorades that killed our TV. For a one day offshore trip we did not anticipate such bad conditions based on the forecast and it cost us. In Charleston we could get it fixed before continuing on so we had a work schedule for when we got there.

But, we're in Charleston and time to enjoy.