4/14/2004
We spent three days in Vero Beach, arriving around noon on Easter from Rodriquez Key after an overnight sail of about 150 nautical miles.  Vero Beach was a good place to wait for a change in the weather that was forecast.  We had a shower or two as the front came through, but nothing like the heavy rains that fell about 10 miles further south. Since anchoring anywhere in the city is not allowed it was not surprising that the city moorings had two or more boats on them.  We were rafted with a steel motor sailor "Copper Beech" out of New York City.  The folks on "Persephone" greeted us as we arrived at the fuel dock and we shared dinner on board with them the next night and met the couple on "Ursa Le Faye" who were rafted with them.  They are permanent live-a-boards from the Chesapeake Bay area.

We joined a bunch of other cruisers taking the free city bus to do our reprovisioning.  It was a treat to be delivered to the doorstep of our preferred supermarket (choice of two), and then picked up again about 45 minutes later and returned to the dinghy dock.  It made the shopping trip much easier, and we had the advantage to seeing more of the town on the bus route. It is a great service for the many visitors who spend part of the winter there.

The beach and older part of Vero Beach was about a mile east of the marina.  We took several walks over there, taking different routes to look at the area.  The local art museum had a show of Hudson River artists as well as a maritime painting show, both of which we enjoyed seeing.

waves
Windy day on ICW approaching Coca, FL

We had hoped to head on our way north on Tuesday and get ahead of the crowd planning to leave on Wednesday, but the weather was iffy, so we got up early to get a good start on Wednesday morning.  A second front had passed through, so the skies were clear, but we paid the price with a stiff wind out of the north.  It was a splashy, wet, salty day even though we were on the ICW. "Persephone" and a group of boaters that had left just behind us stopped at Eau Gaulle, but Leonard chose to keep on going to Cocoa.  We were treated to our first (and only) manatee sighting of the trip when one surfaced just beside the boat after we were anchored.  I didn't realize what it was in time to get a picture.

4/15/2004
The next day, Thursday, we made it as far as New Smyrna Beach. On the way, we passed through Haul Over Canal which is a short link between the Indian and Banana Rivers. It has an opening bridge about half way through.  I noticed that the bridge was open for a long time, and thought maybe work was being done on it - it leads to part of the military property at Cape Canaveral, which isn't a public road.  Wrong.  The reason it was open was a long section of dredging pipe being towed by a tug with two little tugs alongside to help maneuver it through the twists and turns.  The bridge closed as we approached, and once we got through, we caught up with the sport fishing boat who had blasted past us a bit earlier and the tow.  It took some time for the pipe to make the tight turn, and we sat there in a current at idle speed since there was no place to go until the tow got straightened out in the channel.
Pipes
Pipe Tow making the tight turn in the ICW


There are a couple of anchorages south of the town, and there were also a fair number of boats already at anchor when we arrived.  The chart showed an interesting little channel with enough room for several boats off to the marshes to the east where we hoped to spend the night.  We watched as the boat ahead of us looked the area over, and then continued further north.  When we got there, we looked, took a deep breath, and turned off the channel.  "Skipper Bob" said there should be sufficient depth for us if we had picked the right spot, and the tide was rising. After checking the area out for shoals, we dropped two anchors to be sure to stay in deep water once the tide went out.  While we were having dinner we had a good laugh when we overheard a conversation on the VHF radio between the sail boat who had passed up our spot and one that was trying to find a spot to drop the hook.  He decided we must have known where we were going, because he wasn't confidant there was enough water to get over the edge of the channel.

Herons
Great Egrets in the evening light

GBH
Great Blue Herons

The wildlife as dusk approached was interesting.  Lots of groups of birds flying past, one after the other.  There had been announcements on the NOAA channels regarding an Air Force missile launch at the Cape that night, warning boaters that an area on the coast that would be closed due to falling booster rockets.  Leonard didn't think we would see much of a show, and we forgot to watch the time.  I happened to glance up and thought I was seeing a very bright star, or a very bright, orange landing lights on a plane.  By the time I got out it was obvious it was the launch as the rocket turned east and looked like an orange comet. When I called for Leonard to come out, he thought I was trying to get him to turn on our anchor light, so all he saw was the back end of the rocket as it headed out.

Departing New Smyrna Beach 4/16/2004
After wasting time in the morning trying to top off the fuel tank in New Smyrna Beach (the place that had diesel only sold it in quantities of 100 gallons or more) we headed toward the Ponce de Leon inlet where, after taking on fuel, we headed out into the Atlantic.  We had good weather and a choice of places to come back in, the St. Mary River, Savannah, or Charleston, depending on our arrival times.  We were aiming at Savannah, but the weather forecast was still good and we would get to Charleston about day break, so that became our destination.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse at Ponce De Leon inlet

At 2300 on the first night when I came out for my watch Leonard pointed out a ship on the eastern horizon that didn't show on our radar yet.  I kept an eye on it as its position relative to us was remaining more or less constant.  As we got closer to it I dug out the reference card dealing with specific light configurations on vessels since I was seeing what looked like multiple green and white lights and had no idea what that meant. "Red over white means there's fishing tonight" indicates a trawler, shrimper or the like.  White over red or reds indicates tugs and barges being towed, etc.

The ship was definitely on the radar now, and converging with us.  I still didn't see any running lights to tell me which way the ship was heading other than at us, nothing on my cheat sheet dealt with the three green lights I was seeing, and the white lights on either end were not significantly different in height (the bow is normally lower than the stern light).  I didn't hear anything on the VHF either, but I find our handheld hard to use at night.  I don't know why these "interesting" things always seem to happen on my watch.  Finally I got Leonard up to figure out how to avoid whatever was approaching us as it seemed intent on checking us out. I was concerned there might be something towed behind it that I couldn't see.  After we made contact on the radio, we learned it was a Navy ship "504".  He was doing some maneuvers with a vessel off our stern quarter.  We now think three greens up high indicates military vessels.

The rest of the night was much more tranquil.  I watched Antares in the constellation "Scorpion" rotate through the southern sky, and even saw the "cat eyes" on the tail that are below the horizon at home.  My encounter with a large pod of dolphins was the perfect antidote to "504".  They spent nearly an hour with us, their wakes glowing in the water, streaking in alongside and then up to the bow to play with us, before falling of to the side and repeating the process. Dolphins, watching planets set and a little sliver of a moon rise out of the water just before first light makes it worth being out on the ocean and staying up most of the night.  We also get some good sailing on the ocean, which doesn't happen in the ICW.

4/18/2004
We arrived at the Charleston entrance at first light and decided to anchor for a few hours before trying to get under the bridge since we had spring tides again with the new moon and remembered that there wasn't enough clearance for the mast in the fall.  It was nice to have the chance to really wash the boat down once we got to the marina.  It had been six weeks since we were last tied up at a dock overnight.
Sunrise
Sunrise at the entrance to Charleston

We spent two nights at the marina, giving us easy access to Charleston.  The weather has been great so far this trip, very little rain, daytime temperatures in the low 80's and cool enough to sleep at night.  We took a long walk checking out the homes and gardens in Charleston, and catching the first day for a two week fund raising "tea" at an Episcopalian church in the old part of town for a nice lunch.  We finished the day with a trip to a local deli/bakery for treats, the hardware store to find parts for "Auto", the grocery store, and doing laundry to get the salt out of our clothes.
Flower
Interesting flower seen on Charleston walk

The autopilot, "Auto", has been busy eating pins on this trip.  After having Autohelm ship us a new pin and gear in Marathon on the way south to replace the pin that sheared, Leonard has been busy making new "pins" out of cotter pins, which need to be replaced regularly.  The pin sent to us was made out of some kind of rolled material which promptly sheared after very little use.  We reverted to the old, worn, gear and cotter pins which last about a day.  Leonard made a temporary pin from the end of 1/8 drill bit which is still working.  We also able to buy some little high tensile pins we found in Charleston as backup.  "Auto" has been happier, as are we, since fixing him required us to remove the steering wheel twice, once to remove Auto, and again to reinstall him. It's nice not to have to do that underway.  Besides, we need "Auto" to do the steering.

4/20/2004
We departed Charleston on Tuesday for a short jaunt on the ICW to Caper's Island.  We must have gotten things just right on the trip south, as the number and variety of birds at the impoundment on the island was some of the best we've seen.  No such luck this time, there were only a few birds, but we did see a whole family of alligators, two small ones, one bigger, and one even bigger!  Two of them even swam over to check us out (but didn't get back out of the water).  We took a long hike on the beach, it's some 3 miles long and the island is about one mile wide.
Gators
Two of the alligators

Shells
Tiny shells on the beach, each "occupied"

4/22/2004
On Thursday morning we took the ICW as far as Winyah Bay, where we turned east and headed back offshore to take advantage of the high pressure that has been giving us good weather and southerly winds.  Once again we had several choices to duck back inside, depending on our speed.  We had some great sailing out to the Frying Pan Shoal buoy by the Cape Fear River.  Once we turned north toward Wrightsville Beach, however, the wind was dead behind us and the swell coming from the south east caused the sails to flap more than fill, so we reverted to motoring.

We anchored off the town, and after some rest and a lunch, we dinghied ashore for a walk.  On the beach we saw what looked like big kites being flown from the breakwater, but as we walked further south, turned out to be "para-boarders".  They use a harness rig to attach a 'chute similar to those used for para-sailing, and rode what looked like a snow board. There were 4 or 5 of them out at the same time, and it was like watching a dance as the 'chutes wove back and forth along the beach, with the boards slaloming gracefully under them.  Some of them were very good, doing jumps, turns and spins in the air.  The guys on the regular surf boards seemed to watch them as much as the incoming waves.
Para Boarders
Para-boarders in the surf off Wrightsville Beach

Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville Beach from the anchorage

4/23/2004
This morning we again headed out to sea, bound for Beaufort, NC this evening.  Most of the other boats that spent the night in the anchorage appear to be going via the ICW.  We were sailing along, hearing booms, thinking we made the right choice as the ICW is probably closed again due to firing at Camp Lejeune, when a call came through on the VHF that Navy warship "58" has a "causality" on it 5" gun mount and all surface ships are to keep clear.  Apparently his 5" gun jammed during a live ammo firing practice and he is trying to get out to sea to fix it. Meanwhile the gun is pointed south and he is trying not to hit anyone should it decide to clear itself.  After talking to him and determining he was trying to contact a sailboat ahead of us, we continued on our way.

We will spend a little time in Beaufort before heading up the ICW. Going outside is not a real option for this next part as we'd need to go quite a way east to clear Cape Hatteras.  It also sounds like a front is approaching the area and the winds will switch to the north.  Right now we are doing about 6 knots under sail in a 12 knot breeze.  Since we are clear of the warship and its dangers, are going nicely in the right direction, life is good.

As we approached the Morehead, NC entrance, we decided to be adventurous and tuck in behind Shakleford Bank even though the guide book gave warnings of considerable shoaling in recent years.  As we approached the buoy by the ferry dock,  the shoaling was certainly evident with the appearance of a sand bank ahead of us but we managed to squeak in along shore and by setting two anchors were able to keep from drifting over the shoal when the tide changed.  Not exactly an all weather anchorage, but the forecast was for fair weather and southerly winds.  From GPS readings, the sand bank is where the chart shows the deep water and dries out at low tide.
Antares off Shakleford Bank
Anchored off Shakleford Bank -  the sand bank just behind the boat is covered by the tide.

Shakleford Bank is at the southern end of  North Carolina's Outer Banks and it is part of a Rachel Carson estuary preserve that is only accessible by boat.  There were several small boats anchored along the beach when we arrived in the late afternoon.  All but one departed before dark and we shared the quiet anchorage with a father and two children camping on the beach.


Shakleford Band and Beaufort, NC   4/24/2004
In the morning we went exploring ashore.  Like many of the sea islands, this one has wild horses and we were greeted by a small band with two stallions trying to establish dominance.  After watching them we took a path across the middle of the island toward the beach, then walked along the beach to the entrance channel and back to the dinghy.  We met a group of volunteers who had arrived by boat and were picking up trash to help keep the island pristine.
Horses
Horses on the beach - the dark stallions are fighting

Crab
A ghost crab on the mud flat

By noon, when we got back on the boat, a number of small power boats were arriving to spend the day at the island since it was a warm, sunny Saturday.  We made our way back to the entrance channel and proceeded to Taylor Creek to anchor off the Beaufort waterfront, finding a spot amidst the moorings just off the dinghy dock.  When we went into town we found ourselves in the middle of the annual Beaufort music festival, with free, live entertainment by mainly local musicians in several venues,  including a stage set up on the waterfront.  We enjoyed both the music and the people watching so we decided to spend Sunday night there too.  The final group, "The Rutabagas and the Lemon Sisters", on Sunday night was a fairly good jazz band that had most of the audience dancing.
Music
Beaufort Music Festival  and the crowd dancing

Parrot
Another music lover

Taylor Creek Anchorage
Beaufort, NC from our anchorage on Taylor Creek

ICW  4/26/2004
Army Land Craft
Army landing craft coming through the bridge opening

Monday morning as we approached the Morehead bridge, a army landing craft began maneuvering just on the other side so we decided to wait until until he cleared the bridge before heading on our way north.  Once we reached the Pamlico Sound we were able to set sail and had a great downwind run instead of a repeat of last spring's wet slog to windward.  We opted to take the land cut rather than the longer route around some shoals since the forecast was for high winds with the passage of a cold front.  When we got out of the cut there was a dark cloud to the west with a rain shield that kept expanding, spreading to the north ahead of us.  By taking our time sailing in the fluky winds around the rain we managed to arrive in Belhaven without getting wet.  We were surprised to find the anchorage almost empty since there had been number of boats anchored there last fall.  The next batch of rain held off until we set the hook and were settled in for the night.
Sailing
Sailing on Pamlico Sound

Storm
A rain shower to the west of us

4/27/2004
We debated spending another night in Belhaven since the forecast was for 20 - 25 knot winds, but decided to depart after getting fuel.  The Alligator/Pungo Canal is a 20 some mile long, almost straight, narrow land cut that connects the Pungo and Alligator Rivers so the winds weren't a concern while we were in there.  But due to our delayed start we didn't have a lot of options for where we could stop - either anchor before the main part of the Alligator River or hope to find a spot before reaching the Albemarle Sound.

We chose the anchorage off Bear Point just after leaving the canal. We were exposed to the west wind in the early evening that caused the boat to bounce around.  During the night the wind switched to the north and things quieted down.  The Navy uses this area as a target range for training pilots and most of the late afternoon and early evening we were being circled by fighters screaming overhead making practice bombing runs.
Bear Point Anchorage
The shoreline off the Bear Point Anchorage with dead tree stumps in the water
4/28/2004
In the morning, the wind was still from the north but forecast to die back by the afternoon.  We ended up motoring into the north wind for most of the morning up the channel in the Alligator River but were able to sail across the open waters of the Albemarle Sound.  In the afternoon, the wind died and we ended up motoring the rest of the way to Coinjock where we spent the night at the Midway Marina.  The next day, Thursday, there was no wind and we motored the rest of the way to Norfolk taking pictures of the osprey, eagles and other wildlife along the way.
Osprey
One of many osprey on the channel markers

Mud Turtle
A turtle on the side of the channel

The "Virginia Cut" route to Norfolk involves a lock which only operates on a hourly basis and several bridges operating on half hour schedules. We had gotten a leisurely start and when we got pass the first bridge, realized we would be delayed at the last lift bridge in the Norfolk area when it closed for the evening rush hour.  Several power boats went rushing pass us as we approached the lock and they were still waiting to enter the lock when we got there.  Once out of the lock, they went charging off hoping to make it through all the bridges before the restrictions began at 3:30.  But that didn't happen.

We caught up with them again at one of the railway bridges which normally is open but was now closed.  After a about a 10 minute wait, a single freight engine chugged slowly over the bridge, the railway bridge reopened and the power boats charged off again in an attempt to reach the last bridge before the now looming deadline.  On the radio, we heard the bridge operator telling them to obey the 6 knot no wake zone and he would not be opening the bridge as they wouldn't make in time.

Knowing we would have to wait, we motored slowly toward this last bridge debating if we wanted to try the "free dock" by the bridge, drop an anchor, or just motor in circles while we waited.  None of these options was really all that attractive.  The end of the restricted time had changed since the guide we had was published, with the wait now possibly being two hours.  As we approached the bridge to take a look at the "free dock" which didn't look all the sturdy, the bridge operator said the bridge was going up for a tug and barge - commercial traffic has priority - and if it was OK with the tug boat captain, we could go through as well.  It was and we did.  With the bridge delays and no wake zones, our slow sailboat was just as fast the power boats!

We stopped for the night at the anchorage off Hospital Point on the Portsmouth side of the river.  Again we were surprised to find only one other boat anchored there as there had been nearly a dozen boats last fall.  Another boat did come in later in the evening.  There are far fewer boats traveling now then when we went south last October.  Maybe we are too early in the season, although we are about 10 days behind last year's trip north. Anyway we enjoyed the afternoon watching all the river traffic.
Norfolk
Sailing schooner of the Norfolk waterfront

Barge
Interesting barge traffic in Norfolk
4/30/2004
After topping off on fuel and water the next morning, Friday, we continued north up the Chesapeake Bay.  As we passed the naval base,  Navy warship "55" departed for sea duty and the crew, dressed in white, was out lining the rails.  Another war ship was coming into port and they were dressed in blue and flew a pirate flag.  Don't know the significance of this.  We heard on the radio there was a submarine also coming in, but by this time we had already started up the bay.
Navy 55
Navy warship 55 departing for sea

Although the wind was calm in the morning, by noon it came up from the south about 12- 15 knots, so we had a good sail.  By 5:30 PM, we reached Piankatank River south of Deltaville, VA, motor sailed up river about two miles and anchored in a river  bend.
Sunset 
Sunset on the Piankatank River

The autopilot had started making more noise so Leonard spent the evening taking it apart again.  The makeshift drill bit pin had broken and he replaced with one the spring steel pins we bought in Charleston.  The drill pin lasted two weeks, considerably longer than the official replacement pin.  It was still noisier then it had been, but Leonard didn't find any other obvious problems.  After going through the sea state calibrations one more time, Auto seems much less uptight and has stopped trying to over steer like a German perfectionist.  Hopefully he will continue acting like this, making the next offshore jump easier for all of us.

5/1/2004
In the morning as we left the Piankatank River we saw a square rigger at anchor in one of the bays.  It was either a beautiful replica or a very well preserved and restored wooden vessel. Wooden carved figures were everywhere.  One of the flags it flew read "December 2,1787". Unfortunately we couldn't make out its name.  The "Pride of Baltimore" replica is supposed to be in the Annapolis area this weekend on its way to Baltimore, so maybe we'll get a chance to see it too.
Ship
Very interesting wooden vessel

Bow Sprite Detail
Bowsprit Detail

Stern
Stern with carved images

The wind was from astern and not quite strong enough to just sail and  keep our speed up. Thus we motor sailed until about 1 PM when there was enough wind to sail.  We arrived in Solomons Island on the Patuxent River and were anchored shortly after 7 PM.  Again there are fewer boats than last fall and the local boaters are not yet out in force so we have our choice of anchorages.

Today, Sunday, we took it easy.  After reprovisioning, we dinghied back ashore to go for a walk.  The day was forecast to be rainy and windy with the passage of a cold front.  However it was a much nicer day than forecast, and after the clouds lifted in the morning, the day turned mostly sunny and quite warm.  We will sit out the cold front here before heading further north.

Leonard and Lynnea  on 5/3/2004