s/v Moosetracks: When does the butter melt?

After over a week in the boat yard it was good to be back on the move and since temperatures were falling pretty fast we were actually very glad to be headed south. The first stop was Hospital point on the Elizabeth river between Portsmouth and Norfolk. It is officially were the Atlantic Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW) begins and from where all the mile markers reference. We had a pleasant surprise as we sailed down the last stretch of the Chesapeake when we heard our friends s/v Celebration (see links on the side) on the radio and in time we caught up with them and discovered we were headed in the same direction. We both enjoyed a very brisk sail down the bay past Fort Munroe, Hampton Roads and into the Elizabeth river. We found plenty of room and dropped the hook in good water just off the main current. We wanted to catch Steve and Lynn so we launched our dinghy and spent a very pleasant few hours chatting of our plans which were both loose and headed south.

Which way Captain?

The following morning we both left with Moosetracks headed down the dismal swamp canal and Celebration headed down the Virginia Cut (the way we came north). So after the only bridge opening of the day we parted company and headed into the dismal swamp canal. It was a short distance to the first lock and we made it there in plenty of time. Unfortunately though the lock called us to say it would not open until it had cleared the area of the thick “duck weed” that was surrounding the other side. Boats were trapped on the other side as the weed can block sea strainers and then cause overheating which actually happend the day before to 2 boats. So we dropped the anchor and waited. Well the river is not that wide and has a good current running so boats swung around a bit. Before too long the catamaran behind had dragged down and was getting rather close. They were very aware and tried a second anchor but that was too late and we had to fend them off when they touched us. Thankfully they were both on deck and helping with lines so no damage was inflicted either way and they safely re-anchored further in front of us. After several hours of waiting the lock keeper called to let us know he would start the lock opening and we all moved forward. He wanted a mono-hull first so Moosetracks lead the way. We all tied up safely in the lock and the sluice gates were opened. As Robert the lock keeper said the whole force of the canal at over 20 miles piles into the lock so it was quite a torrent and a strong ride being at the front of the lock. All went well though and we rose steadily to the height of the canal. Once the lock gates opened we started the engine, now being extra vigilant due to the weed we noticed straight away we had little to no water flow. So we immediately went below and emptied our sea water strainer. It was easy to do and full of weed. We tried the engine again but alas still no flow. We concluded a block between the strainer and the thro-hull valve were the elbow is. So the other boats all left around us and we started to take apart the hose on the valve. Well at 15 years old, pipe work seems to “set” so it was a huge effort to remove the pipe and find the blockage. We found a mix of pine needles and duck weed had blocked the elbow and after clearing we had some flow back. So we moved Moosetracks to the dock outside of the lock where you can tie up for the night. We had to clear the strainer and elbow one more time in both places before we had good water flow back, what a lot of weed!

Flushing the "Duck Weed" out

This is inches deep and with Pine needles too!

Looking back

Well sometime things transpire and you have little side benefits, we now were spending the night by the lock and with friends Cathy and Mike on s/v Sapphire who we had spent many evenings with in the recent yard trip at Deltaville. We also got to meet Robert the lock keeper who had tried so valiantly to clear the weed just to prevent our sort of problem. It was a pleasant night and in the morning we all met at Robert’s station for coffee and pastries. Robert had been up most of the night clearing the remaining weed from the canal and through the lock so we could have a safe onward trip. It was truly beyond the call of duty and a very generous act for us boats still at the dock. We all elected to go through that morning so at around 9:00 Robert walked up to the bridge to let us all through. This time we got to follow Blue Goose so they parted the weed and in second spot we had no issues with weed this time. We did clear strainers when we stopped later and there was a little but not so bad.

Our hero - Robert at lock 1 on the Dismal Swamp

We much prefer going second - parting the weed!

So we transited the dismal swap and the next lock was a delight for both being weed clear and for letting the water out such that the sluice gate produces much less turbulence in the lock. We had a great passage and again the lock keeper, Frank, was a real help and so knowledgeable. We all locked through and by now had caught up with s/v Robin Song IP40 who we had met much earlier this year. We all made it safely to Elizabeth city and tied to the wall there after a long day. We had dinner with Jess & Robin at a lovely place by the dock called Groupers and again had a wonderful time.

Another State on the way South

Passing the visitors center

The second Dismal Swamp Lock & Frank

The lock empty - with style!

Elizabeth City is a very cruiser friendly town and actively seeks to attract the cruising boats to it’s very lovely city. They have a wonderful tradition of a welcome party for cruisers when a group are at the dock. It was party in honor of Fred who used to give roses from his garden to ladies from cruising boats that came to Elizabeth City. They put a small memorial to him on the dock and maintain his tradition where they give ladies roses and crews a glass of wine with cheese at the party. Now that’s a special tradition and made us feel very welcome. We had a great time in Elizabeth City visiting the grocery stores, the museum and walking the wonderful town. The museum had a wonderful exhibit to the movie “Gone with the Wind” which we were greatly impressed with and now we need to find the movie so we can see all the costumes!

Dev's buddy

Liz's buddy

The best Welcome on the ICW

Cool as a Moose in Oriental!

After Elizabeth City we crossed the Albemarle sound and down the Alligator river into the canal that connects it to the Pungo river. It was a really long day as we had intended to stop before the canal but made good time so pressed on. We had dinner while in the canal and anchored almost immediately on exiting but not before seeing a wonderful sunset.

Peace on the canal

Sunset on the Alligator-Pungo canal

From the Pungo river we went on to Oriental, again a very cruiser friendly town and with a free dock too! Unfortunately the town is smaller and the docking only takes 2 boats and it was full. The harbor is also small and currently occupied by a few small boats that have been here well past their welcome. So we found a space just outside the harbor and since it was light winds we were just happy to be here. We dinghied to the dock and walked into town, we almost immediately stumbled on a free bike offer at the first store we came to. We asked to borrow 2 bikes and were helped enthusiastically to take them. We had a wonderful ride around town and got to see way more than we would have by foot. We noticed that one of the boats on the town dock was Celebration so we stopped and caught up with Steve and Lynn again. We had met Tom & Sandy from s/v Anania and arranged to have dinner at M&M’s with them and Frank & Patty of s/v Dreamweaver. It was a great meal and even better company.

Free bikes in Oriental

The next morning we left for Cape Lookout on the end of the Outer Banks. We remember this trip well as when we first took possession of Moosetracks our first journey was south through Adam’s Creek. We had a wonderful transit again and even stopped this time to refuel before going to sea as the prices here are very good. At Beaufort we had the tide timed right and went out on the outgoing current, it was still pretty boisterous though. We entered the shelter of Cape Lookout a few miles later and set the hook. Now this is a truly awesome anchorage as it’s very remote and in one of the windiest areas of this coast yet totally protected. We dropped the dinghy again and went ashore to walk the beach and enjoy the end of the sun.

Cape Lookout

The next morning was an offshore passage to Masonboro inlet and in to Wrightsville beach, we knew our friends David & Sue on s/v Sans Cles were planning to leave today from Beaufort so we called them soon after departing and shared sea conditions on the radio. We set our fishing line out for the first time in a while and half way across the passage we got a big strike. After stopping Moosetracks by turning into the wind we had nearly lost all the line on the reel! It turned out with our 7+ knot boat speed we had lost nearly 300 yards of line in stopping the boat. We were hailed by Sans Cles in the middle of this as our AIS had showed we stopped, Liz said hastily “give us 5 minutes” which I’m sure sounded like we were in crisis. In any case we fought the fish for a little longer and eventually got it to the boat. What a disappointment, it was a Bonito, a strong fish in fighting but just as strong in taste and very bloody so we released it. So we called David & Sue back to explain our “fish on” state. It was a great passage with following seas most of the way, they did die out towards our arrival but still a wonderful trip.

What a fighter!

Another sunset at sea

A hitch hiker at sea eating our flies!

We enjoyed Wrightsville beach for a few days with trips to the store for fruit and vegetables as well as a propane refill. We left after 3 nights to stage in the Cape Fear river for our long offshore passage. We were up early to catch the tide and started with excellent following seas and beam to broad reaching which lasted a good 8 hours. After that it went totally flat for the next 11 hours and we motored along with a reasonable following sea and current. Well after midnight the wind started to fill in and we picked up gradually to 20 knots. Moosetracks responded nicely on the broad reach with wind at this strength and soon we were doing 8-9 knots for several hours. The next evening saw the wind clock a little more and ease a bit but with a good course line we had anticipated this and had an extra 15 degrees to come around to keep the wind off our stern quarter for a little longer. But as with all good things it couldn’t last so the last 2 hours we had a run and our boat speed dropped to 5-6 knots. We reached St Mary’s inlet at around 12:30am and in total darkness, however since we had been in here before we were OK with this. We had not planned to meet a warship coming out through and the squeeze was not that welcome, but we both did a good job of managing the inlet in a boisterous sea state. So we anchored safely at 1:30am and got some welcome rest after 273 nm and 41 hours.

Wild Horses on the beach

Rattle Snake on the trail

The anchorage at Cumberland Island is north of the Florida boarder so just inside the limit of our Insurance coverage until November 1st due to hurricane season. So we are here for a few days and we love the National Park so we will take full advantage to rest and do boat jobs while enjoying the park trails. The real bonus is a lot of cruising boats have the same wait and we met up with good friends s/v Kismet, s/v Sans Cles and several other boats.