An "Interesting" Day

Today was one of those "interesting" days on the ICW.

We left Coinjock, NC this morning around 7:15am with the sun slowly burning off the morning fog and dew. The winds forecast was for 8-12 knots out of the SW which meant we would facing head seas the entire day.

Sure enough, as we entered Albamarle Sound, we were looking at 2-3 foot seas on the bow for the 20 mile crossing. I can't ever remember a time when this crossing was a "pleasant" experience and today was no exception.

As we continued our travels through the Alligator and Pungo Rivers, the wind persisted in providing a considerable "chop" along our route. We finally turned into the Neuse  River and our planned stay at River Dunes, just east of Oriental, NC. Upon arrival however, and needing about 200 gallons of fuel, were informed that they had not received their diesel shipment and only had about 75 gallons remaining in their storage tank. That meant, either sucking fuel off the bottom of their tank or finding an alternative to refuel and dock for the night. I opted for the later and we pressed on to Beaufort, NC.

I have wanted to stay here for a number of years but the time and timing never worked out. This time it did and despite having to dock the boat in 18 knot crosswinds, this is a lovely little town right at ocean's edge with a rich history of pirates and Queen Anne's Revenge. After an amazing dinner at an old converted grocery store turned restaurant, we are in for the night and looking forward to our next day of travel to Wrightsville Beach.

Tired, full (of food and wine) and ready for bed...

The open and beautiful ICW

Beaufort, NC

The Start of the ICW

The Intracostal Water (ICW) starts offically at mile market "1" in Norfolk Virgina.

We left Norfolk Yacht Club this morning around 830am which started our shortest day of the entire trip. Short in distance, not time. The 55 miles we traveled today were filled with bridges that had to open (on very restricted schedules), transiting the Great Bridge Lock where we "dropped" 2 feet, and staying clear of Navy ship patrols, tugs pushing barges and a parade of other recreational boats (and birds) heading south for the winter.

Tending the lines

Great Bridge Lock

Heading South -- lead the way!

Fortunately, I have done this section of the ICW a number of times now and have learned some of the tricks to minimizing wait times, moving ahead in the pack, and dealing with other anxious boaters and commercial tug captains. All in all, it was a good, uneventful (meaning nothing horrible happened), and enjoyable day on the water.

We are now tied up at one of the most unusual places on the waterway, the Coinjock Marina & Restaurant. The ONLY thing here is a face dock, fuel and a restaurant that is "known" for serving an amazing 32 oz prime rib.  Not sure if I am really in the mood for indigestion tonight.

Coinjock, NC

Gremlins and Boats

One of the lessons I have learned over the years traveling long distances in a boat is to allow for a few "flex days" in the schedule for those unanticipated "issues" that are likely to crop up along the journey. The thing I didn't count on however, was that is would be the FIRST day!

Yesterday morning, we arose bright and early and prepared for our departure from Annapolis. Water and cable TV lines had been disconnected, shore power cable put away, generator on, engines running, fenders put away, lines stored and ready to move out of our slip when.... GREMLIN.... THERE IS A GREMLIN ON THE BOAT! Sure enough, one of the most valuable and necessary controls on the boat failed at that exact moment. And unfortunately, it wasn't something as simple a resetting a breaker or replacing a fuse. The joystick that controls the Zeus pod drives had a catastrophic failure and would have to be replaced. So we retied the lines, fenders and shore connections and began the frustrating process of trying to locate a replacement part.

After hours on the phone (and few choice words along the way), we were able to get the joystick replaced late that afternoon. We enjoyed another night at the Annapolis Yacht Club and one more serving of delicious Maryland Crab Cakes. An early-to-bed evening as the next day required another early departure due to a forecast of questionable weather as the day progressed. 

So at "first light" this morning, we went through the same departure procedure as the day before and fortunately, before any gremlins were awake. We left Annapolis at 7:15am starting out under cloudy skies, winds from the SW at 10 knots and waves forecast at 2-3 feet (which is "bumpy" but not a bad ride). We went through a couple a rain showers en route (love that HD Radar and windshield wipers) and tried to stay close to the western shore to protect us from the wind and waves. We made excellent time and traveled the 160 miles to Norfolk in just under 6 hours.

Upon fueling at the Norfolk Yacht Club, we tucked into our slip just minutes before a violent thunderstorm arrived including rain, lighting, winds to 50 knots and a tornado warning! The worst of the weather eventually passed, but it looks like some storms are going to linger into the night. Hopefully, the front will be through by sunrise as we leave for Coinjock, NC. While only a 55 mile run from our current location, there are a host of restricted bridge openings and a lock to navigate before the day is done. That tends to make for a long day.

Time to head South!

Storms brewing, Norfolk, VA

50 knot winds -- I'm glad we're at dock!!

Ready to Head South

While it is officially Fall here in the northeast, the weather remains relatively warm for late September. Just the same, there are hints that cooler temperatures will start to move in soon, so we find ourselves being pulled back to the tropical climes of home.  Based on what appears to be favorable weather and seas forecasts, we are going to begin our trip south on the Intracoastal Waterway starting this Tuesday. ENCORE has had its engines serviced, systems checked, the fuel tanks are full, and is otherwise ready to go. We are excited to finally get underway and continue ENCORE's maiden voyage down the Atlantic coast. 

Our journey will take us from Annapolis to Norfolk, through the "Virginia Cut" into coastal waters of North Carolina, down through the low country of South Carolina, to the meandering rivers and sounds of Georgia, into the Sunshine State passing Jacksonville, Saint Augustine and Cocoa Beach, eventually reaching Stuart where we will turn west to cross the Okeechobee Waterway that stretches across the state. Coming out the other side into the Gulf of Mexico, we will head north again passing Ft. Myers, Captiva Island, Boca Grande and eventually arriving in Sarasota, our final destination. If all goes well we should be home somewhere around the 17th of October.