A rally night on SPARTINA. Wind, waves and tide from different directions. Sail off anchor at 7:15.
Light southwest wind and blue skies. 2.3 on the Pantego River. 7:30 through the wooden breakwater and on the Pungo River. Pleasantly surprised by the nice wind. 7:55 making 4.7 and then 5.2 in a long steady gust.
8:10 passing Woodstock Point. 9:50 tacking near Wade Point where the river opens up onto the Pamlico River. 10:45 struggling to get out of the Pungo, maybe it is the tide. 11:10 past Wade Point, finally on the Pamlico, 3.0.
A tug with a barge coming down the river, plenty of room and stay well outside the marked channel.
Wind comes and goes, getting hot. A few clouds move in and glad to be out of the sun for a while.
3:00 tacking to the entrance of Durham Creek, a narrow cut that it hard to see with all the trees along the shoreline. Finally pick out the red channel market, then a quick tack to port and in the creek.
A few more tacks and then anchor near the ketch KISMET out of Lewes, Delaware. No one aboard, seems like the ketch has seen better days. 3:45 anchor down, boom tent up for some shade.
In the middle of the night, the hum of mosquitoes. Reach up on top of the centerboard trunk, find the Thermacell bug repeller. Click the starter button a couple of times, wait til I see the glow of a flame the size of a pinhead, the quiet hiss of the repeller. Soon mosquitoes are gone. Back to sleep.
Wake to the calmest of mornings, the sounds of birds in the marsh. Look over the side to see jellyfish below, one hosting a small crab for a ride.
Sail off anchor at 7:00 with just the hint of a breeze out of the south. A slow pleasant slow drift, less than a knot, just off the marsh. A favorite kind of morning.
7:30 out on the open water of Southward Bay, 1.9. 8:10 across Mouse Harbor, making 3.4 rounding Pamlico Point.
8:25 on the Pamlico River, 4.1 with wind aft of port beam. 9:10 less wind, 1.8.
9:35 cross the sailing track from two weeks earlier, and just north of that enter the Pungo River. Making 2.0.
10:40 sailing at 0.8 with Persimmon Point just ahead. Motor sailing. 11:05 under power, sails still up but they are of no help in the windless heat.
11:40 some wind, sailing at 2.5 wing and wing. 12:10 3.4. 1:00 jibe to the wooden breakwater. 1:35 slip through the breakwater and onto the Pantego River. 1:40 sails down. 2:00 tied up at the public docks on Wynne's Gut in Belhaven.
Paying for my slip at the marina, I realize it is Monday. The little town is mostly closed down. Two nice restaurants, a steak place and Spoon River, both closed. The brewery, closed. I get an iced at Farm Boys, a burger stand, and sit in the shade at the marina porch. Bad timing for a visit to Belhaven. It is hot, I'm tired. Early dinner at Fish Hooks. A salad. Still hungry so I order a second salad. Back to SPARTINA. Cast off. Anchor out on there river. Set up the boom tent and relax in the shake.
A cinnamon roll and iced tea at The Bean. Keith does a double take when he sees me on the porch, he quickly looks to the sea wall to see SPARTINA tied up there. "You're back!" I enjoy talking with Keith and the locals, wondering about the wind. The consensus is that the wind will be light or maybe non-existent. Cast off at 8:00 cast off, 8:05 sails up, 8:10 out past the jetty.
8:45 making 2.3 on a tack across the wide Neuse, hoping for a better angle on the light south wind. Jibe north, aiming for Long Point Shoal, and the wind fills in, 4.9.
9:15 making 4.1, steady, easy sailing. 9:45 using binoculars to look for the shoal marker. Clear skies and have the solar panel out to charge batteries. Sunshine lets me listen to some music via the phone and blue tooth speaker. How nice!
10:00 less wind, doing 2.0. 10:25 less wind, making 1.4, the day so pleasant I relax and enjoy. Get the first glimpse of the marker at Long Point Shoal.
11:25 passing the shoal marker, better wind, 3.3.
Past the shoal, with the white sandy beach of Swan Island to port, doing 3.7. Wind on the stern, sailing wing and winglet. A beautiful day. I look to the east and see nothing but the water of Pamlico Sound.
12:00 can see the water tower at Hobucken to the northwest, Maw Point off the port bow. Soon crossing the mouth of the Bay River at 3.5.
A few boats on the ICW heading up the river, pirates outside the channel checking their crab pots.
1:00 Rock Hole Bay to port, Sow Island Point ahead in the distance, 3.5. Light green water as we sail over the shallows just east of Bay Point. 1:25 turn to Sow Island Point for better angle on the building wind, 4.7. Cross the mouth of Jones Bay, pass Sow Island Point at 1:45, crossing over the shallows.
2:00 passing Middle Bay to port. I notice markers ahead through the shoals which surprises me. Years ago I sailed this area a lot and don't recall the markers at all. See a waterman coming from the northeast and he is tracking the markers so figure I should respect them too.
2:10 gps shows 5.6 as we follow the slightly curving channel. Passing Little Porpoise and Big Porpoise Bays at 5.5. Finally out of the shoals and jibe towards Mouse Harbor entrance at 2:30.
2:40 jibe towards Sound Point, sailing close-hauled into the building afternoon wind at 5.2.
A long port tack across Mouse Harbor carries us into Southward Bay and then Cedar Creek. Decide I want a little more room so jibe back out. Anchor down Cedar Creek at 3:10. Set up the boom tent to get some shade.
Awake at 5:30, stow sleeping gear and boom tent. At the coffee shop as they open at 6:30 for a blueberry muffin and iced tea. Cast off Beaufort docks 7:00, sails up 7:10 off the Duke marine lab on Pivers Island. It the beginning of the flood tide, light southwest wind.
Making 3.0 past the shrimp boats lying Gallants Channel, surprised by the strength of the flood tide. 7:20 under the bridge, good wind and making 4.4.
7:50 4.6 with the helpful tide up the Newport River. 8:05 at green "23", 5.2 downwind towards the canal. 8:30 3.6 as the river narrows and the tall trees to port block the wind. 8:35 motor sailing. 8:50 under the bridge and on the canal, flood tide still running. Sails still up and catching a helpful breeze now and then.
9:15 not sure if I can feel the flood tide anymore. Green marker "15" shows a helping tide, though I think it we have crossed the head of the tide and it is an ebb tide carrying us towards the Neuse River. Sailing with wind on the stern, 4.3. A dolphin swims nearby, an eagle flies overhead.
10:15 at red marker "8" wind forward of port beam. Slip to the north side of the channel and follow a line of crab pots. Making 4.1. 11:15 struggling with light wind on the nose, tacking back and forth across the channel with lots of power boats passing by.
11:35 on the Neuse River, 2.0 and getting hot. Soon down to 1.1. Motor sailing.
12:45 a little wind approaching the entrance channel to Oriental. Inside the jetties trade tacks with a Wayfarer, a boat that English sailor Frank Dye made famous with this cruises. My first look at a Wayfarer in person and I chat a bit across the water with the boat's captain.
1:00 sails down, tied to the seawall across from the circumnavigator SKOOKUM.
It is hot, so an iced team from The Bean and then an afternoon of laundry, refilling water bottles, charging batteries and catching up on the log.
Sail off anchor 6:20 on a clear, beautiful morning. Can hear the surf breaking on the beach on the other side of the banks. A flood tide running west to east, light southwest wind. Making 0.5 against the tide, then 0.9 with better wind. Shackleford Banks to port, Back Sound to starboard, and I could not be happier.
7:15 making 1.5 to the west-northwest, Beaufort Inlet markets barely visible in the distance. 7:30 tack out off the beach to get around some shallows.
7:30 gps crawls up to 2.4, the slides down to 1.1. Gentle sailing.
7:45 making 2.2 and getting closer to the inlet, can feel swells rolling in from Onslow Bay.
8:35 making 3.8 with waves breaking over a rocky shoal to port. Bird Shoal to starboard. Flood tide is now in our favor. Centerboard bounces on the shallow, tack out to deeper water on the edge of the channel.
8:45 off Radio Island and in the channel to Beaufort.
8:45 jibe at the east end of Bird Shoal, 2.5 on a downwind run. 9:05 pass the marker for Taylors Creek. Round up, bring down the sails. 9:20 docked.
Pay the dock fee. Pick up some supplies, including a new SPARTINA ball cap. Lunch at the Dock House, catch up on the log in the coffee shop. Dinner at Finz, and the waitress from the other night teases me about staying too late with my friend Tom.
A choppy night. The wind swung to the north and strengthened. SPARTINA was exposed to wind and chop coming down about the mile-long fetch of Cape Lookout Bight. A bumpy night, got some sleep somehow.
Sleep in, wake to a cool north wind. Hot chocolate and freeze-dried scrambled eggs for breakfast.
9:35 sails up with a single reef in the main. 1.8 downwind following the channel that heads south then curves around the shoals. 9:50 round up to shake out the reef. 10:00 jibe to Barden Inlet, making 4.0 past the scaffold-covered Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Red marker "8" shows we are sailing into a strong outgoing tide.
10:20 making 3.2 against the ebb at the east end of Shackleford Banks. 10:35 3.0 with shoals to port.
11:15 struggling against the tide with lighter wind. Tacking the width of the channel but losing ground to the current. A few tacks and I find I'm back where I started. Motor sailing.
11:25 Morgan Island to port. 12:15 reach Harkers Island, turn west into building, gusty winds on the nose.
No room to tack. Surrender to the wind, main and jib down. Under power.
Follow the curve of the channel south to the backside of Shackleford Banks. 1:15 anchor down off the white sandy beach of the banks.
In the evening darkness can see some of the wild horses of Shackleford Banks walking along the shore.
Tap, tap, tap. Not yet dawn. Maybe a light rain. Wake at first light. Clear skies. Tap, tap, tap. I realize it is the sound of shrimp snapping below SPARTINA.
A cinnamon bun and iced tea at CRU. No rush to leave. Slack tide at Beaufort Inlet is 8:00. Cast off 7:20 with a solid west wind. 7:30 sails up just off the docks. 7:30 tacking into the wind at 2.5 to 4.0. No traffic in the channel and a beautiful morning. 7:50 round the west end of Bird Shoal and see the inlet to the south.
Red marker "6: shows the beginnings of the ebb tide. 7:55 passing the southern tip of Radio Island. Shackleford Banks to the southeast, 3.3 into the inlet.
8:05 into the inlet, 5.0 with wind on the starboard beam, rolling in the swells. 8:05 out of the inlet, watching a shrimp boat coming out of the inlet behind me. The shrimper turns east and drags her nets in the shallows off Shackleford Banks. We turn to port, wind on the starboard quarter, raise the centerboard for the downwind run. Making 3.9 with waves rolling up the stern.
Sailing by the wind, the bow pointed to the very southern tip of Cape Lookout Bight. 3.7 to 5.5 depending on the swell.
9:05 jibe towards the entrance to the Bight. Calmer run with wind now on the port quarter. See that that shrimp boat that has paralleled us is now turning out to deeper water and headed our way. Jibe to clear a path for her.
9:25 can see the entrance marker for the Bight, a single red buoy. 9:30, clear of the shrimp boat, jibe to the marker and round the spit.
10:10 tacking in the the beautiful blue water, blue skies above and sand dunes all around. Wind now on the beam and you can't buy sailing like this.
10:20 anchor down.
A sparkling day and I take a moment to enjoy the simple colors of the Bight.
Set up the boom tent for shade. Catch up on the log. Nap. Read. Relax. Enjoy the day.
