Kaimusailing

It was time to move on after a couple days at Dowry Creek Marina. If you are coming from the North it is the first marina after exiting the Alligator-Pungo canal and it is recommended. The photo is of dawn day of departure.
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The Yachtwin was being nice and started with a little squirt of ether. I am using a brand that has lubricating oils included. We backed along the fuel dock, spun around, and proceeded out the marina’s channel to the Pungo River marked channel.
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The Pungo River opens up after it travels from east to west, then heads south into Pamlico Sound. We raised sail of 150 heavy genoa and light main and skirted the east shore of the Pungo River. There is a huge reef on the direct route to the Neuse River where we would pick up Adams Creek Canal for the final leg to Beaufor/Morehead City. The reef is called Brandt Shoal and is 13 miles long extending from west to east into the sound. As we worked our way east the tack back to the southwest would clear the end of the reef. The wind was from the south and we were sailing southeast on starboard tack. We had to tack a few times to clear the shoals that jutted out from shore.
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Shrimp boats were operating in this section of the sound which is called the Pamlico River. Our boatspeed was modest. The option to motor was there, but the entire passage from Belhaven to Beaufort was longer than the range of fuel we had on board. One option was to break the trip into two halves and stop overnight and take on more fuel. Because we had a sailing breeze I decided to make up the lack of fuel with some sailing mileage.
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We reached the end of the reef near sunset and there were more trawlers operating. This side of the reef is the Neuse River and it extends to the WSW. About 20 miles up the river is the town of Oriental, NC and across the river is Adams Creek Canal, our objective.
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The wind forecast was for southeast clocking around to west during the night. The wind was south all day then after nightfall clocked a bit to SSW. After rounding the reef we headed on a beeline for a mark just NE of the entrance to Adams Creek. On this westerly course we had to clear a marshy shoal jutting up from the south shore of the Neuse. The 150 genoa and mainsail combination started to generate some hull speed close reaching with about 15 degrees of heel. This had been a good sailing day and by now we had saved enough fuel to motor the rest of the way.
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When we reached the tip of the shoal I decided to anchor for the night in 10 feet of water. The Neuse was not choppy and I felt that continuing overnight would be pressing our luck. Mistakes are made when tired and in the dark.
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In the morning it was choppy and I felt like stage 1 seasickness. This is when you feel grumpy and not very energetic. I methodically had breakfast of just coffee, broke the anchor out with the starboard sheet winch, and raised sail to NNW breeze that would push us downwind to our destination.
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I sailed the 150 and main again but this time wing and wing. We would get to Adams Creek in just about 3 hours this way. The wind seemed like 15 knots or so and boatspeed was 5 to 6. After a couple hours we were tracking too far to starboard, toward Oriental, and were coming up on a nice looking yacht, sails furled, and accompanied by a red Tow Boat/US vessel. They seemed to be determined to head us off, aiming to cross our path. I jibed and tried to to get out of their way, but they were towing around in circles or so it seemed. Soon I was headed away from them broad reaching on port tack toward Adams Creek. The wind was increasing and Trillium was flying along. Another sailboat sailing toward the creek under roller furling genoa only was just upwind from us. They were larger but more conservatively sailed and followed us into the creek. It would have been sensible for me to drop sails and motor in, but I reasoned that the wind would be less in the inlet and I hoped there would be room there to drop sail.
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The other vessel was observing my antics, getting laid over in the gusts, unable to do much more than hang onto the tiller, guiding Trillium into the inlet. Once we got into the inlet the wind there was more on the nose and I saw I could not sail very far before I would have to drop sail and motor. I sailed up the left side of the channel and dropped anchor and sails. The wind had kept increasing and now rain was pouring down. I retreated into the cabin and heated up some leftover garden rotini with clam sauce (Bumble Bee brand). The rain stopped and I prepared to start the motor. The battery would barely turn it over. I did not want to resort to yanking on the rope starter, my shoulders were in miserable shape already. I called Sea Tow to ask if they had a vessel to give me a jump start and the nearest one was 15 miles away. While I was waiting I tried one more time and for some reason the motor fired and then sped up into a fast idle. The Sea Tow skipper called and I said I wouldn’t need the jump start, thank you. Now I got the anchor up and motored up the canal.
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Using SmartChart AIS I looked ahead for a marina where I could shower and have wifi. The dock rates in Beaufort were $2 a foot and up. There was a marina in Morehead City with $1.50 a foot and good reviews, Portside Marina. I called them and reserved a slip.
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The channel coming into Beaufort and Morehead City from Adams Creek is very confusing at a spot where the channel splits up. The daymarks look like they were just willy nilly placed in a random pattern. Following the channel on the android phone kept us out of trouble. Unfortunately the phone ran out of battery and had to be put back on charge. I was following other vessels and could see the route we had to take.
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The tide had turned and out rate of speed of over 5 knots was now 2 knots or so. We would never get there at this rate. We had to enter the harbor of Morehead City and head out the channel as if going to sea, then skirt around the commercial docks and warehouses, and finally head to shore. I called the marina again, expecting to be talked into a transient slip. Instead the dockmaster directed me about a mile further up the channel to the Morehead City Docks and take one of the finger piers there.
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It was not obvious where these piers were, but I continued on and found them, spun the boat around into the current, sidled up and into the slip closest to what looked like a large bathhouse.
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There were no line handlers to help, but one of several fishermen who were angling at the dock next door came over and helped. Another call to the dockmaster finalized the credit card payment, the wifi password details, and the codes to get into the showers and heads of the bath house.
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Although this marina has great reviews, I believe they are for the marina itself, not for these municipal docks. There is no captain’s lounge here and the shower and head arrangement is strange. There is no vanity in the showers, so you have to go to the head to shave. The head has a mirror off to the side, not at all designed for the delicate art of shaving.
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The neighborhood has plenty of restaurants and bars and I tried one out, the Red Fish Grill, had a burger and watched the beginning of the Thursday Night Football game. I was tired though and returned to Trillium to sleep.