day three - the crossing

6:15 sails up with the rising sun.  Cool north wind.  Wearing the drysuit, adding a wool sweater at the last minute.  Single reef tucked in.  Making 3.0 down Juniper Bay.

6:25 jibe at red "4."  See a small flock of five ibises headed to a marsh, the a flock of a dozen or more.  6:335 shake out the reef, full sail and 3.8 on the gps.

7:55 see white stakes near the marsh ahead, check the chart and jibe around the shallows.  Check Navionics to see it is 17 NM across Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke.  I prefer a southwest wind for this crossing but the north wind will do.  Sailing at 3.8.

7:50 making 4.8 as we slip away for the marshy shore, compass shows ESE.  Wind and swell on the port quarter.  Sliding down a swell gps shows 6.0.  8:00 see a shape on the horizon.  Watch it for a few minutes, confirm it is a car ferry out of Swan Quarter headed to Ocracoke.  8:20 less wind, 3.6 to 4.0.  8:45 see another ferry well to the southeast, probably another ferry, this one out of Cedar Island.

8:50 making 5.4 to the southeast, tree line to the stern disappears, nothing but water all around.  9:00 pick out a shape off the bow, recognize it as the water town on Ocracoke.  Green water, blue sky, great sailing.  App shows 9 NM to the island.  Making 5.3 to 6.2 depending on the swell.  9:20 the lighthouse shows on the horizon ahead.  

9:50 see crab pot floats, must be sailing over the shallows of Bluff Shoal.  Making 4.5 with swells aft of beam.  10:10 markers for Big Foot Slough Channel and Howards Reef visible.  Getting warm so slip off the dry suit and sweater.  

Have come in a little lower than expected.  Harden up the sheets and point higher towards the channel entrance.  A car ferry is coming out of the channel while a passenger ferry out of Hatteras Island waits to enter.  Spill a bit of wind to slow down and see which way the ferries are headed.  The larger car ferry leaves the channel and heads to our port, the passenger ferry enters the channel well ahead of me.  10:55 plenty of room as we enter the channel, making 5.2.

Easy run south on the channel, no more ferries, just a couple of local boats.  Follow the path to red and green marker "SL," jibe to port and just one tack to line up for the narrow entrance into Silver Lake, the island's harbor.

Slip into the Silver Lake, known to locals and "the ditch" and do a lap around the sailboats anchored there.  Pass by the old lighthouse, turn towards the fishing docks. 

11:30 ails down and tied up at the park service docks.  $33 for a night at the dinghy dock.

Lunch at Dajio, then the wind is so good head out for an afternoon "day sail" in Silver Lake.  The wind has swung to the southwest, gentle sailing tacking back and forth on the harbor.

A blood-orange beer in the evening at SmacNally's.

 22.58 NM

day two - rain in the marsh, and I don't mind

Light rain in the early morning hours.  Booming thunder at 7:30.  WSW wind and a downpour.  I knew it was coming, the front had been well-forecast, and I don't mind.  Just back from a trip to South America a few days earlier, plus up early to trailer and launch yesterday, a relaxing day under the boom tent sounds good.

Hot tea with breakfast.  Heavy rain at 9:00.  Read, nap.  11:00 wake to lighter skies and no rain.  12:30 rain and strong winds.  Rain moves on, wind falls off.

3:00 heavy rain.  4:30 rain moves on.  Wind swings around, comes out of the north.  A perfect time to leave the narrow creek.  Stike the boom tent, tuck away gear.  Motor back out to the open waters of Juniper Bay.  With the north wind, calm water and well-protected.

Evening, one last round of rain and wind, this time from the north.

 

day one - brisk wind to Juniper Bay

Clear and sunny as I rig SPARTINA at Potters Marine, overcast moves in just as I get ready to launch.  10:10 cast off from the small dock, sails up on North Creek at 10:15.  Breezy, more wind that I had expected.  Wind is out of the southwest, perfect.  A lone dolphin swims along the marsh.  Tacking as we play the gusts and wind shadows along shore.   

10:25 the creek opens up and fully exposed to the wind, 4.6 to 4.9 and choppy water.  Cut across the shallows at Chambers Point, on the Pamlico River at 10:45.  11:00 wind on beam, stead sailing at 5.2 kts.  

Sun breaks through the cloud cover.  Round up 11:25 to tuck in the first reef.  Making 6.0 and then 7.0 with a gust.  11:45 past Wade Point and crossing the wind mouth of the Pungo River.  Less wind, 4.4, then more and doing 5.8.  12:30 lots of gusts, spray coming on board.  Watching a small dark shape on the horizon, a fish camp in the marsh near Willow Point, the marsh being a thin brown line.

Pass the marker at Willow Point Shoal, aiming for the distant tree line south of Judith Island.  Wind swings to the southeast, making a tack to get out to deeper water at 1:15.

1:15 rounding the south tip of Swan Quarter Island, one of a series of small marsh islands to port.  2:05 see a ferry on the channel coming out of the village of Swan Quarter, wind on beam and making 6.0.

Overcast comes and goes, getting sunny again.  See markers for Great Island, a small marshy island almost invisible from a mile or two away and I wonder how it earned the name "Great Island."  2:20 feels like we are going very slow, check the gps to see we are making 4.4.  Pick out the thin dark line of Great Island.  Overcast is back again, grey all around.  

2:50 more wind, 5.4, Great Island to starboard.  Turn towards Juniper Bay, following the the marsh line to port.  Afternoon gusts filling in and glad to have the main reefed.  Spot the channel marker in Juniper Bay and jibe to the mark.  Easy downwind run up the bay.  With the usual south wind, would be in protected water by now.  But the wind is out of the south so follow the Bay north to where it narrows, bring down the reefed main.  Under mizzen and jib turn to starboard and follow the creek into protected water.  3:50 anchor down as the afternoon south wind howls.

 

27.5 NM

back home

 With all the moisture in the air, the forecast called for four days of rain and/or thunderstorms. So after 16 days on the water decided to head home early.  Excellent cruise, some very enjoyable sailing. And of course saw some friends along the way.  Hope to start the daily logs next week.

windless, humid, thunderstorms

After several days of excellent weather, the early summer weather pattern has caught up with me.  Light winds today, thunderstorms rolling around.   I’ve reached most of my goals - Ocracoke, Oriental, Beaufort, Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks and Belhaven.   I would like to make it to Washington which is several miles up the Pamlico River from where I am anchored on Durham Creek.   We’ll see what the weather allows   

 

on Cedar Creek this morning

 

back in Oriental

Rode the flood tide north from Beaufort this morning.   Back in Oriental for laundry and a good dinner.   Tied up next to Skookum, an 18’ boat that recently completed the 2025 Mini Globe race.   Hoping to meet Josh, the circumnavigator.  Heading north tomorrow if there is enough wind   

 

Cape Lookout and Shackleford Banks

Spent yesterday at Cape Lookout, then made our way today through the shoals and ebb tide currents past (scaffold-covered) Cape Lookout Lighthouse to a nice little anchorage on the inside of Shackleford Banks.

 

Oriental

I just received the top photo, from John, who runs Potters Marine, on the day I began the trip.  I like the way SPARTINA looks on North Creek.

The rest of the photographs are from the last two days.    A long motor south on a windless Pamlico Sound until I finally found wind on West Bay and through Old Canal   Today I crossed the Neuse River into Oriental.   I will enjoy the town today and tomorrow, then head south Wednesday.

I put the boom tent up early this afternoon as thunderstorms are passing over the area.

 

nice sail to Ocracoke

Twenty seven nautical miles with a nice north wind   Made it there in time for lunch