Marianna and Quicksilver sailing on the Pungo River
The storms in the northeast were kicking things up and making it difficult for Pat and Fred to make their way south. By the time they did arrive, they were trailing 3 other boats: Windward, Sea Mist and Quicksilver. As we made our way further south, the flotilla expanded and contracted, but we were never traveling without at least a couple of other boats.
Sunrise leaving Hampton
Hampton to Oriental
We pulled out at sunrise on the morning of the 8th of November. Having never left this late in the year before, we were now past the fall time change, and were leaving an hour earlier than we usually do. That put us on the dock at Great Bridge between Marianna and Quicksilver by 11am, a new record. However, we were not in any hurry. Windward and Sea Mist had decided to take the Dismal Swamp route, which requires an extra day. We would take that day at Great Bridge, so we spent the time running errands at the myriad of stores nearby and then enjoying each others company.
We pulled out at sunrise on the morning of the 8th of November. Having never left this late in the year before, we were now past the fall time change, and were leaving an hour earlier than we usually do. That put us on the dock at Great Bridge between Marianna and Quicksilver by 11am, a new record. However, we were not in any hurry. Windward and Sea Mist had decided to take the Dismal Swamp route, which requires an extra day. We would take that day at Great Bridge, so we spent the time running errands at the myriad of stores nearby and then enjoying each others company.
Quicksilver in the Elizabeth River
By Wednesday, we were ready for a leisurely start toward Coinjock, passing through the last 2 opening bridges for the next 60 miles. Our lay day in Great Bridge had given Chandelle time to catch up on their run south from Annapolis, so we gathered with them on Orion that night at Coinjock, enjoying appetizers from Crabbie’s and some of Pat’s delicious minestrone soup. The winds were building on Thursday from the Northwest, making conditions right for sailing across the Albemarle and down the Alligator River. Chandelle decided to make for the end of the Alligator-Pungo canal. This would put them beyond the tricky 64ft Wilkerson Bridge at the canal’s end, which is always a nail-biter for them with their 63+ ft mast. Marianna, Quicksilver and Orion were heading for the bottom of the Alligator River, initially expecting to meet up with Sea Mist and Windward there. It was not to be. In the way of things with multiple boats, conditions prevailed to turn Sea Mist back to Elizabeth City for a propeller repair (having hit something in the Dismal Swamp) and to propel Windward further to Belhaven (to meet up with their son). So, it was just the 3 of us anchoring behind Deep Point off the Alligator River, welcoming its protections from the increasing winds which were gusting to 30 knots by the time we rounded the point.
Orion sailing in Pamlico Sound
Thursday was another gusty sailing day, but unlike Wednesday was sunny and therefore warmer. But first we had to make the long 20 mile run through the Alligator-Pungo Canal. Within minutes of cleaing the western end, we put up the headsail and made our way down the Pungo River, past Belhaven and across Pamlico Sound before dousing the sail as we made our way into the narrower Goose Creek channel. Our destination for the night was R. E. Mayo, the legendary commercial fishing dock on the Hobucken Cut. There are no services and the dock is just OK, but the people couldn’t be friendlier. We had a “planning” meeting on Marianna that night and decided to stay another day here before moving on. That would give Tom and Dau on Windward a chance to catch up as they made the short 20-mile run from Belhaven, arriving late the next morning, just after their son arrived in their truck. (Apparently it’s a 60 mile journey by land from Belhaven, but a truck is still faster than a boat.)
George shucks some fresh oysters for Gail
Friday was a beautiful day, sunny and warm with a good breeze. We took advantage of the extra day to take the walk over the Hobucken Bridge into “town”. It’s a great opportunity to get a panoramic view of the ICW at the top of the bridge. George also got a reward for his efforts, when we stopped at Pate Boatyard to get some fresh oysters for Gail, which the proprietor gave to him for free. Gail and Dau (the only takers) said they were delicious.
On the dock at R. E. Mayo
With more boats traveling together, travel plans require more time and consultation between the various boat crews. One thing that was hindering our ability to make these plans much more than a day ahead was the lack of good weather information. From Coinjock to Oriental, the access to the internet is virtually non-existent, and NOAA forecasts only provide the conditions in the immediate area. It looked like there might be a window for a run to Charleston over the weekend, but it was difficult to tell without more information. Also, George and Gail had learned of a marina north of Oriental with a buy one-get one deal that sounded nice. Since we weren’t in a hurry, we decided to pull into River Dunes to check it out for a couple of days. On Sunday, we awoke to fog which delayed our departure for a few hours as we waited for it to lift. By about 10:30, we began our trip south from R. E. Mayo to Broad Creek, a trip of about 15 miles, where River Dunes is located. As we travelled, we heard from Sea Mist, who were on their way south from Belhaven. They decided to join us at River Dunes as well. With the flat calm conditions, it was no surprise that Chandelle decided to take this window to travel from Beaufort to Charleston, taking their 7.5ft draft boat around some of the notoriously shallow spots in NC south of Beaufort.
Relaxing at River Dunes
We pulled into River Dunes just after lunch, the entrance being well-marked and comfortable even for Quicksilver’s 6.5 ft draft. We were glad we had decided to stop, since it was a beautiful facility with more amenities than we boaters are used to seeing, such as a hot tub, fitness center and a steam shower. Wow! It didn’t take long to decide to extend our stay for another couple of nights. Waiting for weather has never been so good.
Tom advertises his Ham call sign
Within minutes of checking in with our Broad Creek destination on the Waterway Net, we were hailed by Tom aka K8TF, who lives with his wife Ellie on Broad Creek. They had wanted to meet us for several years now, but our schedules had never worked. We were now going to be close by for a few days. Tom and Ellie stopped by shortly after we docked, and then joined us for a get-together by the fire in the lodge porch that evening. The next day, they took George, Gail and the two of us on a tour of Oriental. George and Gail are looking seriously at relocating south, and Oriental has possibilities.
Sail Repairs
It was a simple request that made our life more complicated. A fellow sailor had installed a new furling main sail that wasn’t furling quite right. He wanted to look at ours for comparison, but in the process discovered a problem with our sail that needed immediate attention. The webbing that attached the tack (the corner at the bottom of the mast) to the furling mechanism had almost worn through. It would not take much stress for it to completely fail.
As is par for the course, we discovered this on a Saturday night. We were planning on leaving Hampton early Monday morning, so the chance of getting it repaired before we left seemed slim at best. And the reason we were waiting another day was because the winds were supposed to be up the next day. So, how would we be able to drop the mainsail, get it repaired and hoist it back up on a windy Sunday? What kind of repair would even be required? David sent that question to Bruce at Neil Pryde in Annapolis in an e-mail Saturday afternoon, not expecting an answer before Monday.
It was a simple request that made our life more complicated. A fellow sailor had installed a new furling main sail that wasn’t furling quite right. He wanted to look at ours for comparison, but in the process discovered a problem with our sail that needed immediate attention. The webbing that attached the tack (the corner at the bottom of the mast) to the furling mechanism had almost worn through. It would not take much stress for it to completely fail.
As is par for the course, we discovered this on a Saturday night. We were planning on leaving Hampton early Monday morning, so the chance of getting it repaired before we left seemed slim at best. And the reason we were waiting another day was because the winds were supposed to be up the next day. So, how would we be able to drop the mainsail, get it repaired and hoist it back up on a windy Sunday? What kind of repair would even be required? David sent that question to Bruce at Neil Pryde in Annapolis in an e-mail Saturday afternoon, not expecting an answer before Monday.
Pat sews new webbing onto the Main Sail
To our surprise, Dave received a reply when he got up the next morning. Bruce gave his recommendations for the type of webbing needed to repair the sail and other considerations for completing the repair and checking it once installed. After reading the e-mail, we popped up on deck to check the condtions. We wanted to drop the main sail as soon as we could find the calm conditions to do it. It was just before sun-up and the harbor was calm. So, we braved the cold and unfurled the sail to get a closer look at the webbing. Unfortunately, there was going to be no temporary fix. A new piece would have to be sewn on. As we were contemplating whether a sailmaker in Hampton might be open on Sunday (due to the presence of the Caribbean 1500 fleet), Pat approached us and offered to help. She had her sewing machine on board and thought she might have the webbing similar to that used on the sail.
The repair is complete
She reviewed the existing webbing and Bruce’s instructions and confirmed that she had the correct material with her. She generously offered to haul up her sewing machine, which she installed on our cockpit table to allow her to position the sail for the repair. After studying the existing installation, she carefully removed the frayed piece, cut the new one to length and sewed it onto the sail. Unfortunately, there was finishing work that required hand-stitching, which Pat did as well, breaking a couple of needles in the process as she worked the thread through several thicknesses of material.
Hoisting the sail
That afternoon, the wind shifted to the northwest, putting us in the lee of the nearby buildings. We saw another lull in the wind and used it to hoist the sail back into place. Remarkably, it had been less than 24 hours since we had discovered the problem. The generosity of friends is hard to place a value on.
New remote switch for inverter
Other Boat Stuff
We took care of some smaller boat projects while we waited in Hampton. Dave installed a remote switch that was compatible with our new inverter. It was a relatively easy job to install it where the previous one had been.
We took care of some smaller boat projects while we waited in Hampton. Dave installed a remote switch that was compatible with our new inverter. It was a relatively easy job to install it where the previous one had been.
We had a little “incident” leaving the dock at Bluewater, which caused us to snap off a vent cover on our starboard aft hull. Dave managed to get in a neighbor’s dinghy to install the replacement cover before we left Hampton.
And, of course, we did the normal routine maintenance: changed the oil, had a diver change the zinc, and Cathy continued to work on waxing the upper deck (will this ever be finished?)
Hampton – Parting Shots
And, of course, we did the normal routine maintenance: changed the oil, had a diver change the zinc, and Cathy continued to work on waxing the upper deck (will this ever be finished?)
Hampton – Parting Shots
We continued to enjoy the time we spent in Hampton, even if it was longer this year than we originally anticipated. The hospitality from Kate at the Public Piers, who made space for us on one of her busiest weekends, made for a wonderful stay. In return, we made way for other boats and even helped by fixing the tires on one of the loaner bikes. We enjoyed the company of the Caribbean 1500 boats, who were much delayed in their departure and got to know more of our neighbors at a wonderful boater’s get together, sponsored by La Bodega. We were pleasantly surprised when Neal on Eole, who hails from Rochester NY, pulled in beside us and found he was close friends with Joanne and Ralph on White Bird. (Joanne was surprised, too, when she called Neal one night, asking him to look us up and he put Dave on the phone.) We even got to share the dock one night with the historic schooner Godspeed from Jamestown, as she made her way north on the Bay.
We joked with Pat and Fred and the rest of the flotilla that Hampton had thrown a parade honor of their arrival. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Hampton University was having their Homecoming that day as well.
We joked with Pat and Fred and the rest of the flotilla that Hampton had thrown a parade honor of their arrival. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Hampton University was having their Homecoming that day as well.
