Jill / 66 deg, partly sunny, W at 5-10 kts, light winds, NE at 10 kts
04/04/2012, Slaughter Creek Marina off Little Choptank River

The winds were light and the Chesapeake Bay was flat calm for the majority of the day. We motor sailed in the morning and again in late afternoon when the winds increased. We saw our last pelican as we crossed from Virginia into Maryland. We rolled out the jib and motor sailed in the Little Choptank River, which was a perfect way to end our trip. We left our anchorage before sunrise and tied up in our slip before sunset, traveling 91 miles - our longest day ever!

We traveled 3238 miles in 6 months and had an absolutely wonderful trip! We have so many great memories of the places we visited and the people we met along the way! We enjoyed hearing from you with your comments and e-mails. Thanks for following our blog! Now we become Dirt Dwellers.

2012	Comments [5]

Jill / 70 deg, sunny, E winds at 5 kts, chg'd to S winds at 5 to 10 kts
04/04/2012, North of Mobjack Bay on the lower Chesapeake Bay

After leaving peaceful Dismal Swamp Canal on Tuesday morning, we were on the busy Elizabeth River with the Gilmerton Bridge restricted opening, railroad bridges and construction near the Jordan Bridge. Stopped for fuel in Portsmouth and saw Bill and Laurie again. We always enjoy seeing our friends along the way! While motoring past Portsmouth and Norfolk looking at the many tugs and Navy ships, we saw at least 20 dolphins jumping out of the water and swimming alongside our boat. Very cool! Entered the Chesapeake Bay and raised our sails right away. Enjoyed a pleasant motor sail on the calm bay on a sunny afternoon. Anchored in Horn Harbor on the lower Chesapeake Bay.

Left our anchorage at first light, watched the sun rise thru the clouds, and raised the sails as soon as we returned to the Chesapeake Bay. We're hoping for a nice long day on the bay!

2012	Comments [1]

Jill / 67 deg, mostly sunny, N winds at 5 to 15 kts
04/03/2012, Elizabeth's Dock on the Dismal Swamp Canal

On Monday morning, we left the dock in Elizabeth City in time for the bridge opening. As we traveled along narrow Pasquotank River, we were boarded by the US Coast Guard for a safety check. No violations - we're safe! On both of our trips to Florida, southbound we were boarded to ensure our head (toilet) was shut-off properly so we couldn't pump overboard, and northbound we were boarded to verify boat ownership and ensure we had the proper safety equipment onboard. Each time we were in compliance and the officers were very courteous.

Locked thru the South Mills Lock and entered the narrow and scenic Dismal Swamp Canal thru cypress swamps. Enjoyed watching all the wildlife - turtles sunning on logs, ducks and Canada geese floating, great blue herons looking for fish, and butterflies flying around. We passed by the North Carolina Welcome Center and crossed into Virginia. Tied up to the wall before the Deep Creek Bridge, walked to Food Lion for groceries, and were back to our boat in time for the bridge opening. Tied up to Elizabeth's Dock, another courtesy dock, right before Deep Creek Lock. Bill and Laurie drove over and met us for appetizers aboard Links before we walked a short distance to a Mexican dinner. Great ending to a great day!

On Tuesday morning, we enjoyed coffee and fruit with Robert, the lockmaster, before he locked us thru Deep Creek Lock. As always, we enjoyed the peace and tranquility of Deep Creek and the Dismal Swamp Canal.

2012	Comments [2]

Jill / 64 deg, mostly sunny, NE 10-15 kts to SE 5-15 kts
04/01/2012, Mariners Wharf on Pasquotank River

It rained overnight and was still breezy in the morning when we left our Alligator River anchorage. As we turned and headed north into northeast winds over 15 kts, we pounded into one to three foot choppy waves with a rocking horse motion for several hours on the Alligator River and also as we entered Albemarle Sound. The winds calmed and changed direction as we crossed the sound. Raised the mainsail, rolled out the jib and enjoyed a smooth and wonderful motor sail across Albemarle Sound and up the Pasquotank River with south winds over 10 kts. Tail winds are definitely better than head winds! It's nice when we can raise the sails because the sails help stabilize the boat, boosts our speed and helps with fuel consumption. We tied up to one of the free docks in Elizabeth City for the night. Cruisers really appreciate the towns that offer courtesy docks!

We traveled 53 miles and 8 hours today - another good day on the water! We're glad to have the wide open Albemarle Sound behind us. Tomorrow we'll go thru the scenic and narrow Dismal Swamp Canal with 2 locks - one lock is in North Carolina and one lock is in Virginia. We're making good progress toward home!

2012	Comments [1]

Jill / 72 deg, mostly rainy, W winds at 5 to 15 kts
04/01/2012, Alligator River at Tuckahoe Point

We really enjoyed our time in Oriental! There are several shops along the harbor and a nice waterfront park where we could get a good view of the whitecaps along the Neuse River. We rode our bikes out Broad St and stopped at several stores and visited the museum before biking thru the neighborhoods. It was nice talking with Barry and Nancy aboard "Interlude", meeting Paul who welcomed us to Oriental, and it was especially nice to see Neal from "Ming" who we met a couple of years ago.

We left Oriental harbor early Saturday morning in light sprinkles and saw a beautiful rainbow. Motor sailed right away and enjoyed a much calmer trip out the Neuse River than the previous morning. There were rain showers off and on throughout the day and we motor sailed as often as possible. We traveled on the open waters of Neuse River, Pamlico River, and Pungo River and a 22 mile long canal between Pungo River and Alligator River. Anchored behind Tuckahoe Point after entering Alligator River. The area is very desolate and in the middle of nowhere - just cypress swamps and water. Very scenic! It felt good to get a long and peaceful day on the water again. We traveled 76 miles - our longest travel day so far!

2012	Comments [0]

Jill / breezy and sunny
03/30/2012, Town dock in harbor off Neuse River

We were making good progress north, traveling 163 miles with 4 bridge openings during the last 3 days. On Tuesday, we motor sailed and enjoyed a comfortable trip up the Cape Fear River before stopping at Carolina Beach State Park Marina for the night. It felt good to get off the boat, walk for groceries and bring a pizza back to our boat for supper.

On Wednesday, we motor sailed between bridge openings and actually sailed (no motor) to slow us down to make the Surf City Bridge opening. Motor sailed for the next 15 miles as the winds steadily increased over 20 kts, motor sailing over 7 kts with a reefed jib. When we saw 30 kt gusts, we rolled in the jib. We were glad when we anchored in Mile Hammock Bay. Winds blew all night, but we were safe in our anchorage.

On Thursday, we left Mile Hammock Bay and watched a beautiful sunrise while waiting for the Onslow Beach Bridge opening. Raised the mainsail and motor sailed thru the narrow channels. Lots of military aircraft activities. It was very cool to watch and hear helicopters and jets fly overhead! As we passed Morehead City, we were shadowed by the Coast Guard as we passed a Navy warship that was getting ready to head out to sea. It's always interesting along the waterway. Winds steadily increased throughout the day with the strongest gust at 34.9 kts! It was a little rolly crossing the Neuse River, but not uncomfortable. Tied up to a free dock in the harbor at Oriental. Walked around town and met some very friendly people!

On Friday morning, we wanted a nice long day on the water, so we left the dock early. We headed out the channel and pounded into 2 to 3 foot waves in the Neuse River with 20+ kt winds on our nose and our speed was only 3 kts. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it would have been like that for over 3 hours. Since we had a free dock available to us, we turned around and returned to the dock. After monitoring the forecast and talking with other people, we decided to hang around Oriental for the day with high hopes of having a great sail on Saturday morning. Oriental is a nice town with very friendly people. Not a bad place at all to wait for better weather!

2012	Comments [1]