Day 12, March 12, Friday

 We had a good anchorage last night.  The wind was out of the South as predicted with a short fetch so the boat laid at anchor comfortably.  I slept 5 hours continuously for the first time that I can remember.  We started the day with a little bit rolly seas which calmed down to be as smooth as a lake.  We had a waypoint set that let us set the autopilot to steer for us for 4 hours.  We arrived at Harrington Harbor Marina North at about 1;30.  Good weather to clean the boat.  Problem is that they still have the water shut off on the docks.  They offered to loan hoses from a hose bib at the end of the dock that was weather proof.  After two trips to the office and 400 feet of hose we were finally able to get water.  We lost an hour or more of good weather though.  

We found out this evening that my double first cousin (as near as you can get to a brother) passed away this afternoon at 4:30 so all plans have changed.  Until arrangements are made we will not know whether we will go back to SC or straight to WV.  We will basically turn the boat over to the broker and let him get things with the boat worked out.  

This is the last log of the sailing vessel Sea Turtle.  Thank you for following along.  We may use this forum to post some future travels with our travel trailer.  If you don't find that interesting you can always opt out.  

Day 11, March 11, Thursday

Mouth of the Patuxent River

As the morning wore on today, the seas got rougher and confused.  The mast was swinging through an arc of about 45 degrees and we were slewing down waves.  Didn't bother the boat but it made us uncomfortable. I put out some of the main sail to act as a flopper stopper. That helped a lot but it was still uncomfortable.  On toward noon things calmed down some and the afternoon was easier going.  We made it to the mouth of the Patuxent River where we had planned to anchor.  The winds are forecast to be out of the SSE so we chose a spot the was hidden behind the Naval Air Station with large planes going overhead but the area is protected from the wind.  Well, more or less.  The thing is, with the land between us and the wind there isn't enough fetch for the water to build so that makes it much more comfortable.  

We planned our trip for tomorrow, establishing waypoints along the way.  It looks like mostly one long run that will be a few hours without anyone but the autopilot steering. That should put us into Herrington Harbor North Marina where the boat will stay while the sale is finalized.  So, tomorrow will hopefully be our last day to travel on Sea Turtle.  It has been a long run but now it is time to move on.  Look out travel trailer.

Day 10, March 10, Wednesday

Near Deltaville, VA

After the helicopters quieted down, we had a good restful night in Willoughby Bay.  We got off to a good start in sunny conditions which were warming the cockpit nicely.  The anchor came up with minimal mud and we were off.  It was a short trip from the anchorage to the Chesapeake Bay.  Now we were out in open water.  We set several waypoints for the chart plotter and were able to have the autopilot steer the boat for as much as 2 hours at a time.  All we had to do was sit back and keep a lookout for other boats.  We only saw one other boat all day.  It was a catamaran and it was on a collision course with us.  With the WHOLE bay he had to pick a collision course instead of heading ahead or behind us.  I slowed down and let him pass so that he wasn't inconvenienced anyway.  

We came into the anchorage outside Deltaville.  I checked the weather and winds were forecast for to be 10 kts out of the South.  Not a problem.  The anchorage we chose is exposed to the South but there is not very much fetch so it should be fine.  We got anchored and the anchor well set but the wind picked up to the 20's.  That makes the boat a little rolly but it also keeps tension on the anchor so it should stay set well. 

Our plan is to travel to near Solomons tomorrow and on into Harrington Harbor Marina Friday.  We will have Saturday to try to clean the boat up until it is presentable and Sunday the prospective buyer will come by to get his first look at the boat.  

It is going to take a while to get a surveyor to check everything out and then a sea trial before the deal is done.  All of that is going to take until the end of the month, so Lynda and I are going to rent a car Monday and head home.  We don't need to be present for the closing.  

I have agreed to come back and help the new owner move the boat to his home port in Connecticut. That will probably be sometime in mid-April.  

Day 9, March 9, Tuesday

 Willoughby Bay

We started late from Great Bridge, VA. bridge because we knew it was going to be about a 20 mile day.  We thought it would be good to let the sunshine warm up the cockpit.  It did. 

The first order of business was to transit the Great Bridge bridge which is followed immediately by the Great Bridge lock.  All told it took a half hour to get through both.  After the bridge tender opens the bridge he leisurely walks down to the lock and operates it.  

We headed on up the Waterway timing our arrival at the next bridge which was 5 miles away.  When we got there we found that the bridge had been replaced by a 65 foot overhead that was of no concern to us.  So on to the next bridge.  When we arrived at the Gilmerton Bridge we found that the corresponding rail road bridge, which is usually always open, was down for repairs.  The bridge tender had no idea how long it would be before they opened and they weren't talking.  We did donuts for most of an hour and decided to drop a lunch hook to wait them out.  About 5 minutes after the anchor was down the RR bridge announced that they were opening.  The Gilmerton Bridge said they would open in 5 minutes and we were eventually off.  All told we lost about an hour.

We soon reached mile 0 of the Intracoastal Waterway and the end of our trusty Chart Book that we have followed from the Florida Keys to here.  Now it was time to get out the big charts and try to figure out  where we were and where we were going.  Lynda says the big charts are like putting together a puzzle with no idea how the pieces go together.  We eventually found our track and made our way through the military/industrial  complex. There are big ships and military destroyers with small boats with 50 cal. machine guns mounted on them to advise you not to get too close to them.  At the end of the day we came to Willoughby Bay which is just off the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.  Tomorrow we will make the short distance and be in the Bay.  Our current plan is to take an anchorage just outside of Deltaville.  

Did I mention that this anchorage is located just by the military base used for helicopter training.  There are copters flying in all directions. You can see them drop people from the helicopter into the water and then an inflatable zooms by and picks them up on the fly. They are flying really low and loud.  Lynda maintains they are flying over us seeing how low they can get without hitting our mast.  It sounds like it anyway.  Things will quiet down some after dark.  I hope.  We knew what to expect as we stayed in this anchorage as we brought the boat home when we bought it.

Day 8, March 8, Monday

 Great Bridge Bridge

A beautiful day to be on the water.  Sunshine warmed the cockpit. Lynda had the helm a lot. I just kicked back and relaxed.  We had two bridges to traverse that had to open.  I was running a little late for one of them and the tender delayed opening for a few minutes to accommodate us.  

The Waterway Guide that we have been using to navigate so far runs out at Mile 0 of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway which starts in Norfork.  We spent a good bit of the afternoon going over large charts of the Chesapeake Bay locating anchorages for the rest of the trip.  Here is how things look. Tomorrow we will stop in Willoughby Bay in Norfork.  Wednesday we will anchor near Deltaville. Thursday we will anchor near the mouth of the Patuxent River.  Friday we should make our final destination at Liberty Marina in Herrington Harbor. 

All in all, it has been a good trip.  Hope to enjoy the run up the Bay. 

Day 7, March 7, Sunday

 We slept in until about 7. I was considering a layover day from my warm sleeping beg since the wind was howling.  We got up and decided to move on, but first Lynda fixed bagels for breakfast.  Nice to have something warm in your belly before starting out on a cold day.  The sun had warmed things in the cockpit up some by the time we were ready to get underway.  A major chore at the start of each day is hauling up the anchor.  It usually involves hauling up a few feet and spraying the chain with the deck wash wand to get the nasty mud off the chain.  A few more feet and more spraying until you get the anchor aboard.  This process can take as much as 20 minutes in the cold spraying cold water which tends to get whatever you are wearing wet.  This is always been Lynda's job since Mark Handley showed her how to do it.  She is a real trooper. BTW the anchor came up perfectly clean.

We got under way in somewhat choppy conditions with water coming over the dodger every few minutes messing up the windshield so it is difficult to see.  Keeping a lookout is a chore.  Conditions were rather stable and when we got to Albermarle Sound the dreaded square waves weren't there.  The passage wasn't pleasant but it was not unbearable either.  The boat is built to handle much, much worse conditions. It is just a matter of the crew being uncomfortable.

Just a few minutes after the sound we came to Coinjock Marina where we are going to spend the night.  It is supposed to be cold again and having shore power for heat is a plus.  We will also go the restaurant and have a piece of red meat for dinner.  

Tomorrow we should make it to Great Bridge Bridge and Canal.  There is a free dock but without amenities.  At lease Lynda won't have to pull up a dirty anchor.

Day 6, March 6, Saturday

Alligator Cove Anchorage

You are getting this post late because there was NO cell service where we were.  So you get doubles today. 

We had a good day on the water.  It was sunny and the sun warmed the cockpit nicely.  We had spent the night in the Belhaven Marina and the boat was already warm when we started.  We traveled down the Alligator/Pungo canal.  At the end of the canal is a HUGH anchorage where we have stayed in the past.  And just to top off the good news, when Lynda brought up the anchor there was not a drop of mud on it. As usual this time of year, we were the only boat there.  That holds true for all the anchorages we have been in this trip.   Guess it is just the wrong time of year to be traveling by boat.

Day 5, March 5, Friday

 Belhaven, NC

Well, the Nasty Neuse lived up to its reputation.  We started out the day with 1 ft seas and 12 kts which  gradually increased to 3-4 ft seas and 22-25 kts wind.  Those conditions are of no concern to Sea Turtle but with water coming over the bow and hitting the dodger it makes it difficult to see and uncomfortable for the crew.  We eventually turned the corner through a channel to the Pamlico and Pungo rivers where the conditions were more favorable.

We came into the town of Belhaven to dock at a marina so we would have heat for the night (getting down to  34 tonight) as well as water and trash disposal.  I don't think people think much about trash disposal but after less than a week on the boat we had two bags and no really good place to store them.   

We intended to stay at the Belhaven Town Dock but were misdirected by the contact on the town web page to the Belhaven Marina.  The Town Dock is $1.00 per foot while the Belhaven Marina is $1.87.  I think I need to talk to the town about that tomorrow.  The dock hand was very friendly and helpful.  He even took us to the grocery story so we could get milk, aluminum foil and snacks.  We stayed at this marina in 2013 when we brought the boat home.  It then claimed to be the greatest marina in NC.  We had a very negative experience with Les, the owner and I would not have intentionally stayed here nor would I have recommended it to anyone.  Fortunately, the ownership has changed and for the better.  So, good marina with amenities galore.  

Tomorrow night the temp is to be 30 degrees and we do not have a marina available so we will have to anchor out.  We will be thankful for the Little Buddy heater.  Instead of running it off the little 1 pound cans, we can connect it to a 20 pound tank like you would use with your BBQ.  The little tanks are good for about 4 hours so the big tank will be a blessing.

The furnace feels good.

Day 4, Mar 4, Thursday

 Just another day on the waterway.  We left Swansboro about 8:50.  Things gradually warmed up and it was a beautiful day.  We were able to open some of the canvas, which facilitated seeing.  We got to our planned anchorage at Cedar Creek, about 4 miles from the Neuse River at about 2.  Anchored and laid in the sun in the cockpit. Should be another nice day tomorrow

Day 3, Mar 3, Wednesday

Swansboro, NC 

We had planned for a layover day today.  Slept in and had an easy morning.  About 10 the rain had stopped so we decided to move on up the way some.  Tomorrow was scheduled to be a 57 mile day and that is really long.  We checked the charts and found that Swansboro NC was about 16 miles along the way and that would be easy even though we were starting about 11.  That will cut tomorrow down to something more reasonable.  The anchorage here drops off pretty fast and while I was trying to get located to anchor we bumped the bottom.  Luckily, we didn't go aground.  Guides say there is a fair amount of current here. We put out 100 ft of chain and will depend on our Rocna anchor and all chain rode.  Hope for a peaceful nights sleep.

We pretty much have the waterway to ourselves.  Met 2 boats today and was passed by one.  I also saw our first dolphin of the trip. The afternoon was sunny and our canvas enclosure kept us comfy and warm.

The forecast for the next few days looks favorable but the night time temps will be in the 30's. If your sleeping bag is warm enough, that is good sleeping temp.

Day 2, March 3, Tuesday

 Mile Hammock Bay, NC

Normal drudge day up the waterway.  Temp was in the 40's all day so it was bundle up and shiver.  We had two bridges to navigate, the Wrightsville Beach bridge and the Figure Eight Island bridge.  I had to circle a while at the first bridge but the second was opening for commercial traffic so we got through it quickly.

I heard on the VHF radio from the Coast Guard that the New River Inlet was shoaled and the markers couldn't be depended upon.  When we got to the inlet there was nothing else to depend on so I followed the markers. Sure enough, we bumped the bottom enough to need to change my pants.  Luckily we did not hit hard enough to stop the boat.  Shortly after that we arrived at Mile Hammock Bay and anchored.  

The weather for tomorrow looks like rain most of the day.  Not a fun time to be traveling so depending on what things look like in the morning, we may take a layover day and hover around Little Buddy heater, nap and read.  

Here is link to Three Words marking our current location. ///many.product.torrents

There is a link at the bottom of this log that will let you subscribe to the log if you are interested.

Day 1, Mar 1, Monday

Carolina Beach, SC 

We got started on our trip to the Chesapeake today after a minor health problem postponed our planned start Sunday.   

We made a run to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and got underway at 9:20  We had good traveling until we got to the Cape Fear River.  We had been going about 6-7 mph when we suddenly slowed to 1.  Yes, thats right, 1 mph.  At that rate it would take all day to get to our anchorage.  I left the channel and moved to the side of the river where we were out of the main current.  That picked our speed up to about 5 mph.  That helped a lot.  We had estimated that we would make anchorage by about 5 but it was 5:55 when we were securely anchored.  Made for a long day.

Tomorrow we are headed to Mile Hammock Bay for our next anchorage.  There is a bridge that will have to open for us soon after we leave here so we will have to time our departure to his opening time.

If you would like to get this log by email there is a place at the bottom of the post to request that.  They will make you jump through a hoop or two but once that is done you will get an email each morning that we write a log.  I will also try to drop a not on Facebook about where we are.

Day 0, Feb. 26, Fri

 Well, after 2 years plus we have sold Sea Turtle.  Sunday we plan to start our last trip going to the Chesapeake to deliver the boat for the buyers visual inspection (he hasn't seen the boat), survey and sea trial. If that all goes well he will take possession of the boat there.  I have agreed to accompany him back to his home port in CONN.  The logistics of all that is still to be determined depending on how soon we close and how soon he is ready to leave.

We have had a good run with Sea Turtle.  We have been to FL and FL west coast, the Keys and over to the Bahamas.  The first trip was particularly special as we traveled in the company of our long time friends Mark and Judy Handley.  It was knowing they had the experience of a circumnavigation that we could fall back on that gave us the courage to undertake the voyage.  

Our second winter on the boat we traveled with our excellent friends Mitch and Martha Strickland in their trawler M&M's Journey.  We did FL and the Keys.  

Our third winter we did FL, the Keys and over to the Bahamas.  That was our first transit of the Gulf Stream unaccompanied.    Convinced us we could do it.  We cut that trip short when our no. 2 son called and said he had taken a job in Denver and wanted our help moving.  We took two of U-Haul's largest trucks with car haulers behind them and went west.

Now it is time go get in the travel trailer and see more of the US that is not accessible by boat.  We have been in all 50 states as well as eastern and western Canada. That just convinced us there is much more to see.  Time marches on and waits for no man.

On this, our last trip, we will try to post some comments here and probably on Facebook.  If you are still getting this we appreciate your interest. Keep us in mind and come see us.

Lee