Not a logical route but one we are planning for a couple of appointments back in Missouri.
The morning in Mile Hammock Bay was very cold. Captain Jeff has extra layers for today’s journey to Carolina Beach.
As the day went on, we enjoyed somewhat warmer weather.
Made it to Carolina Beach about 4:30. Traveled about 50 miles today in approximately 9 hours.
Rita will stay here for about 10 days while we head to Missouri.
Headed out from Oriental marina early after a brief stop at the local coffee shop, the Bean.
Crossing the Neuse was a little rocky as winds were about 11 knots and the waves were rolly.
It was a fairly cold and windy day – with some light rain off and on.
We will anchor tonight at Mile Hammock Bay, a protected anchorage (still in North Carolina). This anchorage is in the middle of Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune. We happen to be traveling through during training sessions – hopefully we won’t get bombed :). Today we traveled 63 miles – didn’t get to the anchorage until dark.
We ventured across the Pamlico Sound and down the Neuse River to one of our favorite towns in North Carolina: Oriental.
We secured a slip for the night so we could get a hot shower and a few groceries.
We took a walk through town up to the local grocery store, passing cute Christmas decorations along the way.
Back at the boat we are making chili for the Chiefs game tonight – and staying warm.
We had an early morning departure from our anchorage near the opening of the Alligator-Pungo river canal.
The view from the front pretty much looks like the view from the back. One long canal (21 miles) that connects the Alligator and Pungo rivers.
Along the way you’ll see a lot of trees with purple markings. This means no trespassing as this is privately owned land. The paint is preferred as it is more durable and weather resistant than typical signs.
Whenever you hear someone is sailing, you have these grand visions of beautiful blue waters, puffy cloud filled skies and a warm glow from the sun.
But when you’re on the ICW, the reality is quite different. Our morning near Buck island on the North River brought gray clouds, light drizzle and coolish temperatures. Well, it is December!
Here’s Captain Jeffrey at the start our journey today across the Albermarle Sound. Light winds, light rain and light sun will make this journey less than ideal. The good news is there is also light traffic – so no other boats around to worry about.
History buffs will know that the Albermarle Sound was named after the 1st Duke of Albermarle, George Monck. According to Wiki, he was a professional soldier from Devon who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The three kingdoms were England, Ireland and Scotland. (How did he fight on both sides when they were three kingdoms?)
Anyway, the passage through the Albermarle Sound was a little rocky but generally uneventful.
Once we got into the Alligator River, the rockiness subsided. The Alligator River, which primarily flows North, empties into the Albermarle Sound.
The name originally came from an abundance of alligators in the area – while others say it’s because of the shape of the river. From a bird’s eye view, you can see a semblance of an alligator – but it’s a stretch.
We did get an early start – leaving Hospital Hill at sunrise. Our journey today through the ICW will take us out of Virginia and into North Carolina.
We motored through the Great Bridge Lock in Chesapeake Virginia. Since we had such a late start, the lock wasn’t too busy – only four other boats were with us. (The lock can hold up to 20 boats at a time.) It’s fun to see the variety of stickers from prior sailors littered on the fenders on the concrete wall.
The Great Bridge Lock keeps salt water from the Elizabeth River and the freshwater from the Currituck Sound from mixing. John Smith (of Jamestown fame) christened the Elizabeth River in 1608 – in honor of Princess Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of the reigning king, James I. The name Currituck originated from an Indian word which meant “Land of the Wild Goose.”
Our anchor spot for the night is right by Buck Island, North Carolina. It was a bright sunny day but still chilly. Rain forecasted for tomorrow so getting our rain gear prepared.
Captain Jeff and first mate Anne are starting their third trip down South starting on the Rappahannock River with the Bahamas as the final destination.
Jeff had hoped for a 6:00 am departure from the marina – well that didn’t pan out. We left around 10:15 am – putting us at our first overnight about 8:00 pm.
We have a full moon and a beautiful sunset to finish our first day back on the water. We will be pulling into Norfolk to drop anchor near Hospital Point.
Guests sliding under the boat
Nurse sharks at Staniel Cay
Tropical flowers at Staniel Cay.
Met up with good friends, Mark and Deb – and found a great ice cream shop 🙂
Left Grand Bahama and made it to Hoffman Cay in the Berry Islands. Found the Blue Hole but neither one of us jumped in. After we made it back to the entrance we saw a cute sea turtle who was very curious about us. We made it back to our anchorage and stayed only one night at Hoffman Cay, Left at daybreak on our way to Eleuthera and saw a wonderful sunrise.
Eleuthera Governors Harbor – found a great conch supply and picked one to bring home. The fish market host showed us how to filet a grouper.
