Log 180; Day 526; October 29, 2009; Beaufort, NC.

We have spent the last 11 days with Les and Annie, and I'm certain we have at least 100 pictures of the 4 of us. I have chosen only a few to give you some idea of the fun we had.

Several of them were eating...

And then there's shopping

Many of them were walking the docks

And, sitting on the docks

And of course many of them were taken while we were on the boat

And many of them with a drink in our hands

Some lying down

and standing up...

Some with people we just met (their boat is below, as they leave in the morning) who are traveling for 7 years around the world

Some with people we have met before (Don is a guy we met over a year ago on the Tennessee River)
Some on other people's boats

And all of it can make you very tired

Beaufort Docks is a place where lots of transient boats stop on their way south. In the afternoon it's a contstant stream of boats coming in after a day of cruising

Some have had a rough day, like this one who has spent 72 hours out in the Atlantic cruising from Long Island, NY. The weather was so rough, he lost his bimini, and his swim platform. The captain is telling us his story.

Then in the morning, it starts all over again, as the boats head out...all bound for interesting destinations. This boat was our neighbor, and is on a 7 year trip around the world. These are the people in the picture above with Annie.

Not sure of this boat's story, but he came in yesterday, and almost tore the dock down as he was trying to dock

These people were next to us as well, and are heading for Jeckyll Island, GA for the winter

This is Double Trouble (Don is in the picture with Deb and me above) they are boating friends we have met along the way. They left us the keys to their car to use while they are gone for a few days. Like I said in my log...this is a comunity of people...joined by water.

Log 180

Day 526

Thursday, October 29, 2009

7:30 AM EDT

Location: Beaufort Docks; Beaufort, NC.

Weather: 62 degrees, with clear skies, and a beautiful sunrise

Les and Annie just left us here in Beaufort. They had a car pick them up, and take them to New Bern, NC, where they will get a rental car (one way) and drive to Portsmouth, VA, to get their van. It’s a bit of a logistic issue, but there are no one-way rental cars anywhere around Beaufort, so this is what they had to do.

We have had a great 11 days with Les and Annie on board. Most everyone we have on the boat are “low” maintenance people...but Les and Annie are “no” maintenance people. We have had so many vacations with them over the years that being together is just “easy”. It had been a long time since the 4 of us spent any real time together...and it was great.

Our days cruising have also been very nice. The weather has cooperated (in the most part) and it is just a joy to be able to cruise these waterways, and enjoy this part of the country. For those reading this who are not boaters, it’s hard to explain how much different it is seeing this country from the water, verses the land. The eastern part of the Carolina’s is beautiful in it’s own right...but from the water it is even more beautiful, and very special.

The other thing that most folks do not get a chance to experience (or understand) is that there is an entire boating community, that is connected by water. I am sure that there are similar communities in other forms of recreation, but the one thing that makes boaters interesting (to me) is that no matter how big (or small) your boat, when you walk the dock...everyone’s the same. True boaters appreciate all boats, and enjoy talking about their boat, and learning about others. We also enjoy talking about, and learning about, where folks come from, and where they are headed? Where are the good, and bad stops? What are some “hot set-ups” that they have on their boat? This time of year, it is really a “migration” of boats heading to all points south. And, they come from all points north. For us, each day we get new “neighbors” that we talk to, and find out what their “story” is. As I have mentioned, this time of year there are a lot of captains moving boats south for boat owners, some of which are on board. Each boat has a different story...and each one is interesting. I know, for me, the fascination is that this is all happening...because of a boat. We love this lifestyle, and each day Deb and I appreciate the fact we get to do this.

Getting here...from Oriental (our last port of call) was fairly easy. We left Oriental at first light (or shortly before) because the winds were forecasted to pick up later, and I also wanted to get to Beaufort at slack tide, due to the orientation of the docks to the current. (Side note: these docks are famous, up and down the waterway. I have talked to many captains who put this place on their list of toughest to get in and out of. The tides flow swiftly through this narrow river, and, with any wind, it can make for some interesting docking. We watched a boat have lots of issues yesterday, to the point where Annie was so nervous she could not watch). When we left our Oriental slip, it was mostly clear, but when we got our on the Neuse River, the fog set in, and it continued to be foggy for the next hour or so. With radar, it was no real problem, but it did make for some interesting cruising. The other thing that happened was that we hit the tide flow perfectly, and were riding a 1 1/2 mph current almost all the way here. We made the 27 mile trip, and arrived in Beaufort about 11 am...just in time to get tied up, and walk into town (a few hundred feet) for a great lunch at Clawson’s...a Beaufort landmark for over 100 years.

The rest of our time in Beaufort has been spent walking the streets and just browsing the area. We borrowed the courtesy car (the oldest; ugliest; and worst running car any of us had ever been in) and made a quick trip to the grocery store, and hardware store. We also stopped at a couple spots for a quick beer, and ate dinner out at Ribeye’s...a nice steak house on main street. After Les and Annie left, we also had a car, from someone we knew on another boat, so Deb and I took a ride to Morehead City (just across the bridge from Beaufort) to a cool lunch spot on the water.

Today...Deb and I will be doing some boat chores, and getting the boat re-adjusted to being on the boat by ourselves. Hard to explain, but it’s very different when someone lives aboard with us. Not bad...just different. We also have a few things to do before we leave Beaufort, because we will not be in a place to get supplies for a few days.

Our plans...are for us to stay in Beaufort until Monday morning. We need to stay until Sunday, because our insurance will not allow us to be south of here until November 1^st (that’s when hurricane season ends). And we have decided to stay Sunday, and leave Monday, because there will be a lot of traffic on Sunday...and also there is a NASCAR race, and Bears game, on TV. So it will be good to be tied up, and watch them. As of Monday...we have 36 days until we plan to be in our slip in Cape Coral, Florida....a distance of 935 miles.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 179; Day 523; Oct. 26, 2009; Oriental, NC.

LOTS of pictures of the last few days, as we leave Norfolk, VA and travel 200 miles to Oriental, NC

Here we are on a Naval Shipyard tour of Norfolk

These is one of the several aircraft carriers in port...they said these cost $6 billion to build
These warships cost a little less than $2 billion

This yacht (White Cloud...220 feet) was next to us at Waterside and was leaving for Mexico

On Wednesday, we left Norfolk, and right away we had a group of boats, all heading south

We had a full lock of boats, but Deb does not seem to be too stressed out holding the lines

Here is an example of one of the many narrow, man made, channels that are on the ICW, and how it can get crowded very easily

After 50 miles we came to the town of Coinjock...which is basicly a long dock on the water

There is a constant stream of boats coming through here this time of year

Lots of activity at the end of the day as delivery captains all come in

It's so busy, that they have to raft boats off of one another, in order to find a spot for everyone

With all the activity...Anne still finds time to make us a bloody mary

On Thursday, our marina for the night was at Aligator River. Not much more than a shell station with water in the back of it...but it works.

Just across the road from Aligator River Marina was a small canal that many crab boats were located

We went over there and met a couple of young guys who had just come in from crabbing all day

This is an example of what their day's work had provided them

They had 30 boxes of crabs...each weighing 100 pounds each. They got 20 cents per pound for the crab...not much for all that work.

Many times I talk about leaving at first light...this is an example of what I mean. Just light enough to see the markers.

One of the benefits of leaving at first light...are all of the beautiful sunrises you get to see

A typical cruising day for Annie

On Friday...our home for the night was at Belhaven Waterway Marina...a very nice stop

The town is in rough shape, but they do have some of these crab statues around. They call them crabby crabs...so Les was playing the part

We walked around the town of Belhaven, and found a fresh seafood place where we bought a flounder for dinner

They cleaned it for us, and we had it for dinner...AWESOME

Later that day, the cold front came through

But on Sunday...the skies were bright blue. This is another example of one of the canals that connect the waterways. This one is just north of Pamlico Sound

These shrimp boats are at the entrance to Oriental, NC

This shot is just across the road from our marina

While Les and I watched the race...Deb and Annie sat on the dock, and made friends with everyone who came along.

Log 179
Day 523
Monday, October 26, 2009

6:30 AM EDT
Location: Oriental Marina & Inn, Oriental, NC.
Weather: 62 degrees, with wind and light rain

We’re backed into a slip, which is tucked into a small marina, in Oriental, NC. There are fairly strong NE winds (15 to 25) out in Pamlico Sound this morning, but we are in a very protected area, so we only see the tops of the trees blowing to let us know we don’t want to be out there.

Here’s how we got here...

Wednesday...at 7:45 Deb and I left Waterside Marina in Norfolk in time to be at the fuel dock at Ocean Marine by 8 am. We wanted to be the first in line to get some fuel. Les and Anne drove their van to the same place, where they will leave it for a couple of weeks. After getting 230 gallons of fuel ($2.39 @ gallon) we were heading south by 9. The ICW south from Norfolk is a combination of small rivers & small lakes (sounds) which are all connected by man made canals. Because of the strong NE winds and rain (for the last several days), there were lots of boats stacked up on the ICW, waiting for a good weather window, and things were very busy. We had 16 boats traveling in our group (12 power and 4 sails) that went through the lift bridges and one lock together. This same “parade” of boats stayed together for almost 20 miles, due to bridge restrictions, and no wake zones. It wasn’t until almost 30 miles south of Norfolk before the fast boats could get ahead and try to make some time. We were in no hurry, so we just motored along at about 9 mph. At MM 50 we came to Coinjock, NC, our home for the night. Coinjock is really just “a wide spot on the road” but, it is famous stop over for boats traveling the ICW because the next marina to the south is almost 40 miles away, and to the north almost 50 miles. When we got to Coinjock about 2:30 it was starting to fill up, and boats were tying up all over the place. It was fun to watch all the activity, and talk to all the captains, and find out where they had come from, and where they were headed. This is a popular stop for delivery captains, and most of them are in a hurry to get their boats south, so they can fly back north and get another one. You can always tell the delivery captains from someone who owns the boat. The captains arrive late in the afternoon, and leave at first light. They also drive as fast as the boats will go, and can cause lots of issues for slow boats on the ICW. We, on the other hand, are all about enjoying each day. Two very different approaches to cruising. Anyway...we enjoyed our afternoon at Coinjock talking to different boaters, and had a great meal at their restaurant that evening.

Thursday...up about 5, thinking there might be some activity on the dock, but all was very quiet...until about 6:45. At that point lights started coming on in the various boats, and things started happening. With sunrise at about 7:15, you could see light at 7; and as soon as you could, the boats started leaving. We were in no hurry, so it was fun to watch as 30, or so, boats left the dock and headed south. Some of these boats will meet again along the way...others will be in Florida by the weekend. We finally left the dock about 8:30, and there was only a couple of boats left on the dock. The winds were light, the sun was bright, and it was a great day to be on the ICW. We only had 37 miles to go to our destination at Alligator River, and we were there a little after noon. Alligator River Marina is really a gas station that has water behind it, but it too, is a popular spot this time of year, for all the boats migrating south. The marina can probably hold about 20 boats, and there were 10 or so there by the end of the day. We had another lazy afternoon at Alligator River, with not a lot of activity. We had dinner aboard, and made it an early night.

Friday...up a little after 5, and the weather looked real good. We were at a spot where the Albemarle Sound (to the north) meets the Alligator River, and we were heading south on the Alligator River for about 20 miles. The forecast, and the actual weather were in perfect match. A little after 7 (first light) we slipped the lines and headed out into the Alligator River, then, after they swung the bridge for us, we turned right (south) and for the next couple of hours we were in water that was as flat as the water in a bathtub. From there we joined a man made channel called the Alligator River Pungo River Canal, and this took us another 20 miles to the Pungo River, which is just north of Belhaven, NC. Another 8 miles on the Pungo, and we were tied up at our slip in Belhaven by 2 pm. Once tied up, it became just a lazy afternoon, where Les and I just putzed around, and the girls walked into town. We had dinner aboard, and a quite evening.


Saturday...up early (with no reason to do so), and it’s very cloudy and starting to get windy, tempratures in the upper 60’s. Les and I decided to walk into town (1 block from the marina) and get some breakfast, and ended up eating at a good little diner, and the only place open in town. Speaking of town...this one needs some help. About 1/2 of the buildings downtown are closed, and for sale. You can see that once there was a lot going on...but not now. That said, the locals are all very friendly...especially at this marina. Les and Brenda (owners) go out of their way to help you, and even knocked on the boat yesterday to ask if we needed anything from the grocery store...as they were headed that way, and wanted to know if we wanted to ride along. In the morning, Deb and Annie walked into town, to do some looking around, and at lunch we all went in and ate at Fish Hook’s Cafe, and had some GREAT shrimp. Afterwards we took a long walk, to a fresh seafood shop, on the edge of town. We picked out a piece of fresh piece of flounder (just caught, and laying on ice) and had them clean it for us. Back at the boat, the winds were picking up, and it ended up raining three or four different times throughout the afternoon. We read (the girls) and watched a couple of NASCAR races (Les and I). For dinner we had the fresh flounder (awesome) and the movie was Sneakers, with Robert Redford (great movie).

Sunday...up at 5. The winds have totally switched around and are now coming out of the north, at about 10 mph...which will be on our stern, for our trip south. The forecast called for the winds to pick up and switch to the NE, so I wanted to leave at first light, in order to take advantage of the light winds early, and before they switched to the NE. So, at first light (7:05 am) we slipped the lines and left Belhaven, headed for Oriental. Our trip took us 12 miles on the Pungo River, and then about 4 miles across the Pamlico River, before joining Goose Creek, which took us several miles, to the Pamlico Sound and Neuse River, and then another 13 miles to Oriental, NC. A trip of 48 miles. We arrived at Oriental about noon, and after a quick rinse of the boat, Les and I settled in for a great bowl of chili, and an afternoon of football and racing, while Anne and Debbie spent their time on the dock meeting everyone that walked by. This is a very nice spot, and one of Deb’s favorite stops we have made. The town is nothing special, but it is very clean, and the folks are very friendly. They call this town “the sailing capital of the east coast”. This may be true, but to the casual visitor, it is not obvious as to why. The marina we stay at is also very nice, and a hot spot in town. They have a restaurant on site, and a tiki bar, and many of the locals seem to stop by. With all of that, we had our drinks on board, as well as dinner. The movie was an episode of Castle. Les and I retired a little before 9...not sure about the girls (they’re not up yet, as I write this).

Today...we’ll spend another day here at Oriental, before heading to Beaufort in the morning. It’s raining now, but the radar looks like it will clear out later. The tempratures are forecast to be in the mid 60’s, so it’s a little cool. We are talking about riding our bikes to the store and West Marine, which are about a mile or so down the road. We also talked about contacting a couple we met when we came through here in early May, and seeing if they want to go to dinner tonight. Basically we have no plan...and we are sticking to it.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob