Tag Archives: ICW

3. East Coast USA

SC to FL

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I thoroughly enjoyed our relatively long stay in Charleston.  I could even imagine living there.

Bill’s daughter Nora joined us.

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We left at dawn in the rain, and headed down the ICW. One engine overheated. Tim determined that the belt for the cooling water system was loose. He tried to tighten it (it’s very difficult to access, especially when the engine is hot), but it still overheated. No problem, we only need one engine for tootling along the ICW. Then the second engine overheated, and we had an emergency anchoring drill (in the rain, and strong wind, and strong current).

We checked the filters on the cooling system, and found they were full of gunk. In retrospect, that’s not surprising, since the place we stayed in Charleston was so shallow that our props stirred up lots of muck. After cleaning them, things have worked. Except when we tried to get the anchor back up we got the rope jammed in the windlass.

We went through some fascinating creeks (up one, through a cut, down the next, current first with us, then against us).  Without GPS and a good chart, one could go in circles here!

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We decided to anchor mid-afternoon in a middle-of-nowhere creek. The wind and rain came up hard just as we got in.  Everything on the boat was wet.  But in spite of the problems, I was happy to be moving again.  It even occurred to me while we were dealing with our issues that it was kind of funny that I was enjoying it all!

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Next stop: Beaufort, SC, at a delightful marina across the bridge from downtown.  Showers.  Laundry (more importantly a dryer).  More wicked good food.  Fun walking around town.

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We need to move on in the morning. Stocked up with treats from the bakery, and headed out once again in the rain. Though it was calm as we motored down the Beaufort River, strong northerlies were predicted, so we decided to head offshore and reel off some miles. Indeed, last night was challenging, with rain squalls and gusts up to 40 knots, and sustained winds of 30. Occasional bone-jarring crashes of waves against the side of the boat.

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Selfie after a tough night
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Nora after a tough night

But by noon today we were on a mooring in St Augustine, eating the rest of the treats from the bakery. And the sun is now out and we get to dry our stuff!

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I’m excited that we have made it to Florida.  But only a brief visit to town this evening, as we plan to head back outside in the morning to take advantage of the north wind, this time expected to come with sunny skies.  That could make for a happy Thanksgiving, in spite of being away from family and the traditional feast.

3. East Coast USA

Southbound / ICW

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Eighteen months of planning; now it is time to execute the plan.

We left Longport, NJ, on November 7. Very windy — 30 knots and gusting higher. Sailed most of the night under jib alone, under a bright moon, making good time. We stayed “outside,” meaning we did not go the more protected, but longer, route up Delaware Bay and down Chesapeake Bay. We all used scopolamine patches for seasickness, and glad we did. And glad our boat has a pilot house, providing shelter from the heavy spray. The morning brought a beautiful sunny day, but light winds, so we proceeded under power. NJ, DE and MD quickly behind us. Then into the mouth of Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk, VA.

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Norfolk is a busy ship building port. Pretty amazing to see all the naval vessels — makes my local shipbuilding town of Bath, ME, seem puny. Norfolk also has a small boat anchorage at “Mile 0” of the Intracoastal Waterway (“ICW”). 1200+ miles to go from there to Key West.

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After a peaceful night’s sleep we started down the ICW, turning into the Dismal Swamp canal. This was a new experience for me — motoring mile after mile through a straight ditch. But it was far from dismal; the trees and the water and the sky were pretty. We went through two sets of locks. The lock tenders could not have been more different. The first was gregarious, and told us about the history of the canal system, which was built in the 1700’s so that harvested wood could be floated out of the wilderness. The second lock tender answered questions with the fewest words possible, aside from adding “Captain” after the Yes or No.

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We spent the night tied to shore in a “back alley” off the canal, now in North Carolina. We walked to a road, found a gas station that sold fried chicken with cole slaw, and had an easy dinner. Walking back to the boat, you see the mast emerging from among the trees. What a weird place for a big catamaran to be!

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We made an early start, hoping to get across Albemarle Sound.

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It turned out to be a beautiful day with a following breeze, so we had a great sail across the Sound and made it in early to a marina on the Alligator River. Showers! And another dinner ashore. And wi-fi, allowing me to post to the blog.

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