Louie Blogs

After a lovely and relaxing night at anchor, actually attached to a mooring ball, we awoke well rested and set off in the dingy a short distance to the town docks. Beaufort seems to be a thriving community that really welcomes cruisers.Everything we need from a place to dispose of garbage , the "Big Mug" internet cafe , wine store, and laundromat are all conveniently located within a few blocks of our boat. Yesterday's sail across the sound was lovely and being greeted by several pods of dolphins in Adam's Creek was especially delightful. As you can see from the blog photo though it was a little chilly out there on the water but my thermal t-shirt, two turtlenecks, leather vest, down jacket and yellow foul weather gear kept me cozy!(Not to mention the touque eh!) Today I hope to shed the yellow coat and pants layer!We are really enjoying our little side trips into these quaint and historic seafaring towns and the friendliness of the locals has really added to our visits. Everyday is certainly a learning experience , both out there on the canals, sounds and rivers and as we walk through the local environs. This morning several people have come into the coffee shop in Hallowe'en costumes- I guess I should have kept yesterday's outfit on.

Thursday October 30th - The Witching hour approaches

The day before Halloween, and although it may be cold here, it is at least bright and sunny, and we are certainly not experiencing any of the snowy weather we are hearing about that Ontario is enduring.
Argo has been cleansed of her salty coat, the water tanks have been refilled, supplies have been replenished, and the crew have soaked off all of their dirt and grime.
It is time to move on.
The day is a good one for sailing.

The wind is mostly behind us and it is the best gentle sailing that we have had.

There are many dolphin spottings but they are difficult to capture on camera; by the time they have crested through the wake of our dingy my little red camera is still focusing on the ripple they have left behind.
Our destination is Beaufort and it has a pretty little town but is very crowded.
We go aground RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the channel coming into the harbour and are pulled free by a good samaritan.
Our stress levels did not end there unfortunately.
The anchorage was so crowded it was like the Mall parking lot the week before Christmas. We tried to squeeze into place and put down the anchor but got stuck on another boat's anchor line and ended up pulling that boat into our own. Chas had to get into the dingy and untangle the lines and pull up the anchor into the dingy. We finally decided to tie up to a private mooring ball and that worked out perfectly.
After all the exercise, the spagetti dinner tasted delicious.

a picture is worth a thousand words

We continue to recharge our batteries.

The Lap of Luxury

We fell under the influence of the atmosphere at River Dunes, getting off to a leisurely start this morning, aware that we would not be pulling up stakes and moving on to a new location. After doing our laundry and checking the internet, we headed into the town of Oriental to do some grocery shopping, taking advantage of the COURTESY CAR(yes, really!!!!!!) that the marina put at our disposal.
We didn't linger long in town as we wanted to take full advantages of all the amenities that the yacht Club has to offer.

The day is sunny and the living is easy.

I imagine that the goal of this club is to become completely private and we are only fortunate enough to enjoy its hospitality at this time because it is still in its infancy, trying to promote property sales and to court potential buyers. When completed, the marina will have 400 deep water boat slips with direct access to the Intracoastal.

Unfortunate events

I made a couple of unfortunate errors today, the first of which was right at the outset. We awoke before dawn to a freezing cold day and immediately set about pulling up the two anchors which were finally doing their job and holding us secure. While hoisting up one of the anchors, I mashed my middle finger on the chain. A couple of Tylenol set things to right and we were underway shortly after sunrise. The water was choppy and the weather blustery on the Pungo River. The trawler that was anchored near us radioed over to say that they were staying put for the day, waiting for more agreeable weather tomorrow, but we could see that there were other boats underway and making the journey.
Argo actually seemed to like the conditions and once we were decked out in complete sets of foul weather gear the sailing was good with speeds of 6 to 7 knots with just the Jenny out. My second error came when we were bringing in the Jenny and I made an unintentional Jibe. Fortunately no harm came of this and after a lot of exertion on the part of Chas, we finally got the sail in and were able to continue motoring into the canal.
It was very exciting when Louie first sited two dolphins jumping in the water of the canal. At the time, I was down below picking up some things that had fallen when we were heeled over and was quite disappointed that I had missed them, but fortunately they appeared again and we were able to watch three of them cresting and diving around our boat.
We are docked at River Dunes Marina tonight; it is a fantastic Yacht Club development which has only been open since April. It has a huge, deep water marina, an opulent clubhouse, cabanas, swimming pool, hot tubs, restaurant, and is part of a 1300 acre residential project. The custom built homes that are being constructed in the development are breathtaking. We feel as though we have stepped into an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and the decorating in the clubhouse is right out of Better Homes & Yachting!!! We are paying less than $35. a person for the two nights we will be staying here ...... and you know we will make good use of the facilities. We have already used the hottub, showers, laundry facilities and of course THE INTERNET.

Bellhaven Closed on Mondays

Left our quiet anchorage at Bear Point in the Alligator River at around 8:00 this morning and we were the last sailboat to join the parade. We motored down the Alligator-Pungo River for about four hours and at one point saw a deer attempting to swim across the river. We went under two 65 foot fixed bridges while many large power yachts passed us by, leaving huge wakes. At one point we saw a Catamaran hard aground waiting for TowBoat U.S.A. to come to the rescue. We arrived at our anchorage in a small cove of the river, put down the anchor and headed into Bellhaven by dingy. We left the dingy at River House Marina, whose office and restaurant were housed in one of the Grand Old Homes in the area. We strolled around Bellhaven and spent some time at the public library using the wireless internet, but we could see a cold front moving in, so we hurried back to the dingy to return to Argo before the rain began. We arrived back just before the storm hit and during dinner we could hear the winds and rain building. All of a sudden, the trawler that was also anchored in the cove started blasting its horn to let us know that our boat was dragging across the cove and heading for the shore where it would end up hard aground. Chas scurried up onto the deck and put down another anchor while the storm raged around him. We spent therest of the evening taking turns confirming that the anchors were now holding and monitoring the weather and Coast Guard stations. A Severe weather warning was issued, warning of high winds and rain, which remained in effect until 2:00a.m. On the radio we heard several other boats in distress contacting the Coast Guard for assistance. It was a stressful night but the two anchors did their job and we held firm.

Out of Africa

We didn't have internet access at our anchourage last night and this is the first chance we have had to make a Blog posting.

We left Elizabeth City at the break of dawn and there were already many boats out in front of us. The water was as calm as glass when we cast off but it picked up further on. We motor-sailed for most of the way down Albemarle Sound and we hit rush hour traffic at the Alligator River as there was a convergence of two routes and many more boats joined the flow southward.

We arrived at our anchor before sunset and it was beautiful. It was so peaceful and quiet that we felt as though we were in a remote, seclude haven. The scenery was like something I think might me found off the coast of Africa.

While sitting in the cockpit, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of eggs and fried potatoes and watched the sun turn the sky a wonderful shade of coral.

Elizabeth City really does welcome travellers! - Louie Blogs

Well today was very relaxing but event filled. Pat made excellent use of her nifty port-a-bike by speeding up to the laundromat and doing her laundry before Louie was even up and then later managed to ride home with a large bag of groceries from the Food Lion. At ten we joined the lineup along the street right beside our boat to watch the Elizabeth City State University Homecoming parade which started off with a black hearse carrying a coffin with Bart and Lisa Simpson inside. The two hour parade featured several marching bands , floats, cars carrying alumni as far back as '73 and even a very brave and talented lady strutting her stuff in 5 inch stilettos.

We met several cruising couples who had also just " done the dismal" . One couple are now waiting to have their sailboat hauled as they hit two sunken logs and broke their propeller.

Unfortunately the wine and cheese party that is usually held for visiting cruisers by the local"Rose Buddies" had to be cancelled but no doubt we will meet up with many of these couples again as they are all heading south.
Chas and Louie managed to fit in a quick tour of the Albemarle Museum which was truly wonderful, giving an excellent overview of the history of the area through the decades. Pat and Louie walked around the historic downtown and made a few purchases .

Check out the homeless trio blogging in the hallway .

Onward To Elizabeth City

The Dock Master told us to be ready to go into the lock at 8:30 this morning, so after a quick stop at the gas station restroom we motored into the lock. By the time the rest of the boats arrived when the bridge was lifted, there were nine sailboats all huddled together waiting for the water to be let out of the lock. The Canadians were strongly represented; in addition to our boat, there were three other boats from Canada, from Quebec specifically. This lock was much easier to manage than the one from the previous day. Although we were the first ones into the lock, we were not the first ones out, as one of the Quebequois boats(with a young male crew) was quick off the mark and sped out ahead of everyone. They got quite far ahead of the rest of us, but then unfortunately had engine trouble and ended up the day having to be towed to Elizabeth City by one of their sister boats.

This stretch of the Dismal Swamp was very picturesque but we were surprised by the absence of wildlife ........ except of course for the dead deer which we saw floating in the canal.

We are now at Elizabeth City, a friendly little town, with a farmer's market tomorrow morning which we are looking forward to visiting and where we plan to purchase some fresh fruit.

Because the weather is expected to be foul tomorrow, we will probably remain here for another day. There is a laundromat, grocery store, and a bookshop, so we are all set. I just need to keep Louie from buying every food product she sees that has the name Argo on it ... today she purchased laundry starch(I'm sure it will come in handy for keeping Chas' shirts crisp and clean) just because it was called ARGO Starch. In her defence, it does seem to have a multitude of other uses and I think it will even cure the common cold if the claims are to be believed!!

We are docked along the town wharf and it is quite choppy but fortunately we had three assistants waiting to help us dock when we arrived - otherwise, we probably wouldn't have been able to get in here.

We're Going To Join The Convoy

Left Norfolk this morning at 8:30 and it was right in the middle of rush hour traffic!!! There were Freighters and War Ships and Tugs and all other sorts of vessels all scurrying around the Harbour. We got into line and followed the flow of traffic down to the first Lift bridge. It was quite hectic and we all had to keep our wits about us. Chas did a great job of manoeuvering Argo and keeping her in line. By the time we got to the Dismal Swamp, the commercial traffic had been left behind, but we were in a floatilla of 7 sailboats and a few power boats. We were dragging on the bottom quite a bit and had to keep a sharp eye out for dead heads, logs and other floating debris. All and all it was very exciting. We are now docked at the side of the Intracoastal in North Carolina, right outside a nice little old lady's house(she came out to talk to us and filled our water container). I am amazed that there is wireless available as there is really nothing else around here except a gas station. It is called South Mills. We will go through the next lock at 8:30 tomorrow morning and head for Elizabeth City. Will add photos tomorrow.

First Night Anchored Off

Departed Fishing Bay Harbour yesterday at 9:00 and arrived at our anchorage at Norfolk at 6:00. Put down our anchor and made a hot meal of eggs and toast. It was yummy. Today we brought the tender into Portsmouth and are now sitting at an Internet cafe called Daily Grind. Plan to tour the town before returning to the boat. Will depart from here tomorrow. Of all the boats that left Fishing Bay Harbour with us, we are the only vessel that did not move on this morning. I'm sure there will be a whole new flock of boats anchoring off with us this evening.

Portsmouth is a very quaint little town and they have done a great job of restoring its historical character. There are lots of cobbled streets, historic old homes and a picturesque Main Street. We are taking the paddle wheel boat, which leaves every half hour, across to Norfolk to see the battleship that is anchored there.

Beginning the Migration

Every day since we have arrived, beginning around 4:30, a new parade of sailboats has arrived to anchor off in the protective cove just outside our Marina. By the time the sun goes down, there are usually about fifteen boats bobbing up and down, hunkering in for the night and preparing their evening meal.

Today, instead of watching their morning departure, we will plunge in and join this school of cold water fish that will be swimming down the Intracoastal in search of warmer waters.
From reading accounts such as 'Sailing Away From Winter', we know that this cluster of vessels will become our constant companions and neighbours on the journey. And even if we do little more than wave a hand or toss a line, the names of their boats will become familiar and we will develop a personal interest in their progress.

Moving away from the imagery and back to the cold reality of the morning for just a moment, I need to remember that Argo was having engine problems yesterday and wouldn't even start when we took her out for a 'test run' around the cove. Even after the mechanics replaced the Starter, she continued to be tempermental. We will be doing a lot of motoring and negotiating in tight quarters; although this is a sailboat, for this trip, it is imperative that we have a functioning engine. Chas is off to talk to the mechanics once again. Hopefully we don't have the same Gremlins that plagued "Sailing Away From Winter'.

As you can see from the photos above, we are underway and heading for Norfolk. It is sunny but cold.

Monday October 20th - Louie Blogs

1. Well today was a beautiful,, sunny and event filled day.We put the outboard on the dingy and went for a quick ride around the bay where we had a closer look at the previously sunken but now raised schooner the "Ring Anderson". We decided to start the engine and practice our docking and anchoring skills. The engine refused to start after our fill up at the fuel dock so a couple of mechanics from next door came over and replaced the ignition switch. We motored out into the bay,which was unusually calm and anchored for a bit and enjoyed a cold pumpkin beer and guess what wouldn't start when the anchor was pulled up and we were ready to go back !It did eventually start and we made it back to our berth just as the sun was starting to go down. After the refueling and extra repairs today I think the acronym I heard today in the marina store for the word B O A T is apropos "Bring On Another Thousand" They are calling for fair winds and warm temperatures tomorrow so with luck we hope to set sail for Norfolk. cheers everyone

The Last Day Before The First Day Of The Voyage

Today dawns sunny with a promise of warmer weather than yesterday. After checking the forecast, the wind and weather conditions for tomorrow appear to be the most favourable for departure, so Chas has decided that we will cast off tomorrow morning. This means finishing off all the preparatory chores today: fetching the motor for the dingy, installing the motor, draining the water lines and refilling the water tanks, sorting all the lines and sheets, fix the mooring lines and umteen other items on the check list that I am ignorant of, but which I am confident will all get accomplished in time. I suppose there will not be a repeat performance today of the lovely bike ride that we took yesterday, all around the surrounding area on the bikes provided by the marina.

A Better Idea than Bounty

In an attempt to salvage the ship that sank yesterday, a huge pump and a diver have arrived to attempt a rescue mission. Although it is a sunny day, it is cold and blustery - not a day to be mucking about underwater!! Best of luck to them.

Lights Out

Shortly after our delicious dinner of pasta with olive 'meatballs', a blackout plunged us into complete darkness. Undeterred, Lou and I donned our flashlight hats and finished the evening with a game of Cribbage.

A Sinking Feeling

Woke up this morning to find that we were losing one of our neighbours. Not because they were sailing off into the sunset but because they were sinking!! Sometime during the night the 120 foot Scooner that was moored on the next dock to us heeled over and began to go down. Several people are working to save her as I write this, but the stern is already completely submerged.

Unbelievably, one fellow is standing on the dock passing reams and reams of paper towels to another fellow that is on board - I know Bounty is the 'Quicker Picker Upper', but come on, really!??!

Louie's first blogging experience

Well the bags have been stowed,food inventory has been taken and we are heading into town for more provisions.Still a few things to do onboard yet. The day is overcast and has cooled down a bit but the dockmaster here says warmer weather is on the way- hurrah!

On Argo Day 1

Woke up to rainy weather and water coming in the hatches. Chas scurried around to close things up and keep us dry. Today will be spent storing gear, cataloguing supplies and going for provisions. Seen here, the captain is removing diapers from the bilge - really!!!