Sailing and Motoring On Up the ICW

We had a rather scary moment on our way to Beaufort, NC on Onslow Bay. We knew from radio traffic that there was a very long tow ahead of us trailing dredging pipes. The whole length of it wouldn’t fit in a picture but it was about ¼ mile long!

Paul called the captain and asked if it was okay to pass on the starboard side, he said okay and we proceeded to pass slowly. Unfortunately that part of the channel has some shoaling areas and we were about ¾ of the way past him when we ran aground – really bad timing! We started drifting toward those long pipes and Paul had to radio him to shut his engines down so we wouldn’t get pulled into him. It seemed like forever but eventually we motored off in reverse and just stayed aft of him until there was a safer place to pass. He was going super slowly and we were behind him about an hour. The two tugboats with him had to try and keep the long pipes in place as they were snaking around.

The “other Beaufort” was settled by the French in 1709 and is North Carolina’s third oldest city. We were able to hook onto a mooring ball in Taylors Creek just off the riverfront and dinghy to a free dock. We would never anchor this close to shore but felt okay on a mooring ball; the depth stayed at about 13 feet. (that’s another couple on shore walking their 3 Scotties). We saw two of the wild horses in the area grazing on the shoreline.

We ended up staying two nights on the mooring ball as the weather was changing. We were able to borrow a car from the gent we rented the mooring ball from and got groceries across the bridge in Morehead City. The North Carolina Maritime Museum is here; they have many interesting exhibits along with lovely, clean restrooms! They have artifacts recovered from the 18th century shipwreck believed to be Queen Anne’s Revenge which lies in the waters off Beaufort. She was the flagship of Capt. Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard the Pirate – aaargh! Here’s one of the lovely restored homes in Beaufort (c. 1886) and one of my favorite flowers, the Easter Lily. Hydrangeas are blooming also in hues I haven’t seen before – just gorgeous.

The next destination is Oriental, NC. This is a sight you don’t like to see along the way. Luckily we managed to miss this shallow spot. Tow Boat U.S. is busy around these parts.

Oriental is located at the mouth of the Neuse River on Pamlico Sound. The Sound reminded us of Lake Winnebago; it’s no more than 20 ft deep and gets choppy in a hurry. The town was once known as Smith’s Creek but was re-named by the postmaster’s wife after she saw the name on the name board of a Union steamship that sank off Hatteras in 1862. I guess she just liked the sound of it! Oriental is called the sailing capital of North Carolina and has three times as many sailboats as residents. This is Oriental Harbor Marina where we stayed for one night. There’s very little tidal action here so no more floating docks.

We were able to sail quite a bit after leaving Oriental; the Neuse and Alligator Rivers are really wide, more like a bay. We also were on the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal (a land cut between the two rivers) heading east for about 20 miles with no chance to sail. It's quite narrow with debris and stumps so you need to keep to the middle. We anchored the next three nights: first in the South River off the Neuse River, next off Bellhaven, then just off the Alligator River where we got to watch (and hear) a North Carolina thunderstorm. It had been close to 90 degrees and humid all day so it cooled things down considerably.

We crossed the Albemarle Sound into the Pasquotank River and saw Coast Guard planes practicing “touch and goes” at the largest and most diverse Coast Guard command in the nation with 1,000 active duty personnel. We’re currently in Elizabeth City, NC - ”One of America’s Best Small Towns”. They have free docks for 14 boats; there are just 5 of us here today. The town is well-known for its’ hospitality to boaters. If enough new boats come in, there’ll be a wine and cheese party and the ladies get a rose; I have my fingers crossed! Nora gave us a ride for groceries and Sam gave Paul a ride to a gas station so I'd agree that it IS a Harbor of Hospitality!

One of us went through the Museum of the Albermarle a block from our dock and enjoyed it and the gift shop very much. A couple of tidbits I picked up: The Coast Guard here is the main air search and rescue base for the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to Georgia. If we're going to get into trouble this would be the place to do it. The Wright Brothers came to Elizabeth City by car then took a boat to Kitty Hawk. It was there on the Outer Banks where the first aircraft successfully flew in December 1903.