|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You are welcome to apply any part of this article to your own personal use. Please do NOT publish any part of the article or apply any part of it to any non-personal use without the express written concent of the author.
Kit rejoined Volant in New Bern, North Carolina, after her week-long in-residence watercolor class in the western mountains of that state. While she had a great time there and I had a great time last week bringing the boat single-handed down to New Bern, we were both glad to be back aboard together again.
New Bern, the first colonial capital of North Carolina, is an interesting town just a bit off the beaten track for the flock of snowbirds that make their annual migration up and down the ICW. I found it worth the half-day trip up the Neuse River. We delighted in exploring the town, finding our way into the drug store where "Brad's Drink" (now known as Pepsi-Cola) was invented and, of course, enjoyed a glass of that beverage.
There are no anchorages convenient to New Bern, so we stayed in a marina. Access to the marina is just past a swing bridge that is closed during rush hour. So we either had to leave before 0630 or would have to wait until after 0830. Our erstwhile captain, stern task master that he is, elected to have us take the earlier option.
We got through the bridge just as the sun was peeking over the clouds that lined the horizon. The Neuse River is perhaps the widest navigable waterway in the U.S., and is mostly undeveloped along its shores. It was a pretty time, absent of most man-made noises. Only the soft rumbling of the iron stays'l broke the silence.
Rejoining the ICW near Oriental, North Carolina, we turned southward through creeks and canals to reach Beaufort (pronounced BOE-fert), North Carolina. It's important to know how to pronounce the name of this town. In South Carolina on the ICW there's another Beaufort (this one pronounced B'YEW-fert), and the natives of both are very jealous of the "proper" pronunciation.
This Beaufort is a charming little town, actively pursuing ICW transients as tourists. As an example, the Maritime Museum lets boaters sign out their car for provisioning - and doesn't even charge for visiting the museum. We took them up on their very generous offer in order to fill the larder and refill our propane tank, something that would have been very awkward afoot.
The town's main street was lined with restaurants and shops. Some shops were artsy in nature, others just plain small-town. The General Store where we stopped for some ice cream was one of the latter. The proprietor was nowhere to be found. So for perhaps fifteen minutes we contented our selves to browse.
When the sun went down, the town seemed to close up. There were no cars on the street, most of the shops were closed and the restaurants seemed to be empty of patrons. We retired to Volant, and began preparations for a direct passage to St. Augustine, Florida.
We were a bit concerned about the entrance to St. Augustine. The charts show a blank spot with a note that aids to navigation are frequently moved due the shifting nature of the inlet. The pilot book says that "local knowledge" is a must before entering. The cruising guides don't even mention the inlet other than to say it exists. So as an alternate, we chose to head for Jacksonville, Florida, a few miles up the coast with an all-weather inlet. That would make the passage about two and a half days long if we got good conditions. That, in turn, meant that we would have to leave very early in the morning so that we could arrive in daylight.
Our captain got us all up and going before 0400. Anchor weighed, we made our way out the long channel just as the sun began to climb.
The passage was varied. Kit had a bit of trouble getting her sea legs on the first day, due in part to the conditions. The wind was light and the seas were about four or five feet every eleven seconds on the beam, making for a rolly ride. Confidentially, even our captain had his moments that morning but he kept it from the crew so that they wouldn't loose their trust in him.
By noon there was enough wind to set the mains'l, but not enough to shut down the motor. That wasn't until late in the afternoon.
And then what a sail we had! Volant boiled along through the waves averaging over seven knots. She was really in her element. The moon was full, casting an eerie light over the water. Clouds left black holes in the sky, giving us even darker spots to sail through. It was a glorious night!
By morning the wind began to peter out, requiring that we fire up the old iron stays'l. Small pods of dolphins began to visit us and play in our bow wave as we rose over one wave and crashed down into the next.
Late on the evening of the second day we got a few more hours of sailing. But the remainder of the passage was all motoring. Pods of dolphins continued to join us for a few minutes at a time, the log recording only seven of the visits.
We decided to shape our course to come close to Charleston, South Carolina, in case we needed to duck in for any reason. While in the vicinity of the sea buoy the U.S. Coast Guard was contacting every boat, perhaps in response to a security alert. They always asked the same questions, such as name of vessel, documentation number, home port, name of master, and so forth. We didn't escape the scrutiny, even though it was obvious we were neither entering nor leaving the harbor.
As the day progressed it became clear that we weren't going to get into Jacksonville in daylight. So Kit and I began to explore alternatives. Eventually we settled on Fernandina Beach, Florida, a few miles to the north where we could get in and anchored in good light.
It was a long entrance channel, but an easy one. We were in by 1715, enjoying sunset ceremonies in the cockpit. Hot showers, a hot meal, and a warm bed followed.
This morning we were up and to a fuel dock just after 0800. While I pumped diesel, Kit had a short walk about the town.
The rest of the day was spent motoring down the ICW. The waterway in this region winds through a number of swampy areas, still pristine. The waterway guide suggested that we could see deer, bald eagles, alligators and other wildlife along the shore if we kept our eyes peeled. Although I saw none of the sort, the area was remote enough that I'd not be surprised if any had appeared.
Our anchorage for tonight is behind Pine Island, a marshy spot about ten miles north of St. Augustine. The weather now is blustery. The wind has shifted, now coming from the northeast, indicating that a front has just passed through. That front, combined with Hurricane Michelle heading northeastward from Cuba will mean that the next few days will be quite windy offshore.
Tomorrow we'll be in St. Augustine. Then we'll be heading southward, planning on being in Melbourne, Florida, by the end of the week. With the high winds predicted, we'll probably stay in the ICW until then.
|
|
|
|