Made it.....almost
18 May 2009 | Dowry Creek Marina, North Carolina
Cloudy with heavy thunder showers, Air Temp 54F, Water Temp 71F, Wind NNE@20-30 with gusts to 35
A warning???
We reluctantly wound our way out of Bear Creek yesterday morning. It is one of the nicest anchorages we have been in all winter. Getting ready to leave we read that the cruising guide recommends that only people with local knowledge try to enter the creek due to its winding channel, so that explains why we had it to ourselves. With a small beach ashore and the tall Southern Yellow Pine behind, we were in complete isolation. The nearest house was a couple of miles up the creek, so we were alone in the quiet of the morning.
Finishing our coffee in the warm sun in the cockpit, we were reluctant to move. But the forecast was for a severe front to come through late in the day so it was time to seek shelter. We had made a reservation for a marina about 25 miles further up the ICW. In fact, it was just a few miles past Belhaven where we weathered a similar storm two years ago. So we wound our way out of Bear Creek and into the Hobucken Canal.
This section of the ICW is actually quite pretty, and we motored through the five miles of canal and out into Goose Creek, where we rounded up and hoisted our sails. The wind was south west at a gentle 5-10 knots, so we coasted down the creek and out across Pamlico Sound where we headed up the Pungo River. In the lightening winds, our progress slowed until we realized that the black clouds forming ahead should be a signal to us to speed it up. We dropped our sails and began a hurried motor the last five miles to the marina. We contacted the marina for approach and docking instructions and made a run for it. But by the time we were motoring in the entrance channel, we were under a deluge of rain with lightning crashing down all around us and winds of 25 knots throwing us around. After a few tense moments we were safely tied up. With Seabird close behind, the squall blew through just after we got settled. Just a warning that we will probably not remember.
In the evening the front did come through with more heavy rain and wind, dropping the temperature from 80 to a chilly 55, temperatures we haven't felt since last fall! The forecast is for the wind and rain to continue through Tuesday night, so we'll have time to do a few chores and to borrow the marina's Courtesy Car and explore the area.