Southbound, Shivering, and a Little Shook

We had an intense first week underway, averaging 49 nautical miles per day in our efforts to outrun the cold. Then we spent a couple of days relaxing in Oriental, NC and plotting what was to be our first offshore run - from Beaufort to Wrightsville Beach. The evening before we planned to sail to Wrightsville, an inattentive boater crashed into the port side of Traveller, bringing us to a temporary standstill. That's the cliff notes. Keep reading for the full story. 

Looking out for crab pots at sunrise

We buddy-boated from Baltimore to Oriental with Alex and Annette of Tupelo Honey, a Hunter Legend 37 sailboat. We met them at Anchorage Marina, where Traveller and Tupelo Honey were docked just a few slips apart. Alex is a certified sailing instructor and experienced delivery captain. His wife, Annette, is also a seasoned sailor who has traversed the ICW before. We are grateful for their wonderful company and guidance.

Tupelo Honey follows Traveller down the foggy Alligator River Canal

Each day calls for a unique combination of sailing, motor sailing, and motoring, dictated by wind conditions and navigational obstacles. The most uncomfortable segment of the journey so far was from Solomons to Deltaville, as we spent several hours motoring in the Chesapeake Bay with 22-25 kt winds beating us head-on. We also suffered a restless night anchored in choppy waters at the mouth of the Poquoson River during a thunderstorm. Generally speaking, however, we have been blessed with favorable conditions.

Calm afternoon on the Chesapeake Bay

Dolphins and pelicans greeted us as we neared Norfolk, where we passed towering naval and cargo vessels as fighter jets zipped overhead. We exited Norfolk at ICW Mile 0.

Naval vessels in Norfolk

We had our first lock encounter at ICW Mile 11. It was getting late and we planned to secure a spot at a free dock south of Great Bridge Lock. After 20 minutes waiting for the lock to open and a few minutes of utter panic as we figured out what to do, we made it through unscathed. As luck would have it, the free dock was full and a thunderstorm was closing in. We turned around, made the final northbound lock crossing of the day, raced 2.3 nautical miles north to Top Rack Marina, and tied up to the fuel dock minutes before the storm hit. All's well that ends well. We topped off our tank when the marina opened the next morning and flawlessly executed our third pass through Great Bridge Lock like pros.

First pass through Great Bridge Lock

Third pass through Great Bridge Lock

We entered North Carolina at ICW Mile 63. Soon after, we sailed across the Albemarle Sound to the Alligator River. Traveller was cruising at 8.3 kt, which is fast for an Island Packet.

Sorry to disappoint, but we did not spot any gators. Temperatures dipped low enough that we could see our breath, so our cold-blooded friends must have been hunkered down. Nevertheless, passing through the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal as a dense steam rose from the water was a beautifully eerie experience.

Alligator River-Pungo River Canal

Next, we motored down the Pungo River. That connects to the Pamlico River, where we spent a night docked at R.E. Mayo Seafood. We were pleased with our stay at R.E. Mayo, which charges a mere 40 cents per foot, provides free WiFi, and has a market offering a nice selection of fresh-caught seafood at great prices. We picked up 2 lbs. of jumbo shrimp (half of which we immediately cooked up) and bait fish. 

View of R.E. Mayo from the Pamlico River 

View of R.E. Mayo from a bridge over the Pamlico River

We enjoyed some downwind sailing in the Neuse River on Friday morning before scoring a spot at the free dock in Oriental (a.k.a. the "Sailing Capital of North Carolina"), located at ICW Mile 182. After we indulged in glorious "land showers" ($5 well spent), the crew of Tupelo Honey treated us to a farewell dinner at M&M's Cafe before they headed to New Bern. We spent Saturday exploring Oriental on bikes borrowed from a dockside provisioning store, chatting with other cruisers, working on boat projects, and doing laundry.

Biking around Oriental

Overhead view of Raccoon Creek in Oriental

On Sunday, we settled into an anchorage at Morehead City, located at ICW Mile 205. After verifying that wind and current conditions on Monday would be perfect for an offshore run to Wrightsville Beach, we resolved to set out for the nearby Beaufort Inlet at dawn. At 9:20PM, just as we were heading to bed, we heard the sound of an approaching vessel and Mike stuck his head in the cockpit to investigate. He saw the bow lights of a small fishing boat headed straight towards us and yelled out to alert the operator. Sadly, it was too late. The boat struck Traveller's port side at about 10 kt, tearing up a portion of teak toe rail, bending a chainplate, and knocking the outboard dinghy engine mounted on a railing off-kilter. Luckily, nobody was injured, Traveller's hull deflected the impact like a tank, and the operator of the fishing boat stuck around to provide us his insurance information. Allegedly, he was searching the shoreline for mullet and simply failed to look up (we had the masthead light on and were anchored among other boats). We spoke with an extremely helpful NC Wildlife officer immediately following the accident, and he came out to Traveller the following morning to document the damage, take our written witness statement, and initiate the USCG claim process. Morehead City wasn't completely awful. Mike caught (and released) four different species of fish in an hour: Bluefish, Pinfish, Searobin, and Black Sea Bass.

It seems we must stick around North Carolina a little longer to resolve matters with insurance and have Traveller evaluated at a local marina. We will have any repairs needed to take Traveller down the ICW done here. If we are advised to replace the chainplates, we may motor the duration of the ICW and have that work done in Stuart, FL. In any event, this minor setback will not stop us, and we will continue to keep you updated on Sailing Traveller!

P.S. Here's a list of places we anchored/docked:

• Friday, 10/14 - Patuxent River, Solomons, MD (anchored)
• Saturday, 10/15 - Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA (anchored)
• Sunday, 10/16 - Poquoson River, Poquoson, VA (anchored)
• Monday, 10/17 - Elizabeth River, Chesapeake, VA (docked at Top Rack Marina)
• Tuesday, 10/18 - North River, Grandy, NC (anchored)
• Wednesday, 10/19 - Alligator River, Tuckahoe Point, NC (anchored) 
• Thursday, 10/20 - Pamlico River, Hobucken, NC (docked at R.E. Mayo Seafood)
• Friday, 10/21 & Saturday, 10/22 - Raccoon Creek, Oriental, NC (docked at free town dock)
• Sunday, 10/23 & Monday, 10/24 - Bogue Sound, Morehead City, NC (anchored at Sugarloaf Island)