June 27th- Hampton, VA to Jackson Creek, Deltaville VA

Hampton is a nice city. It would be easy to spend more time. We met a few cruisers that decided to make it their permanent land base. It was a lot quieter than it was in the fall. They have just started to reopen things. A few restaurants were open with well spaced outdoor seating. Employees all seemed to be taking precautions with masks and gloves. We haven’t been eating out but the smells enticed us. Per a recommendation, we went to Goodies deli and bar for a takeout lunch. I had a fantastic Ruben sandwich. Lynne had a BLT with about 10 pieces of bacon on it. We rolled ourselves back to the boat when finished. While in town we also picked up fresh donuts for breakfast. Not exactly health food but decadent.

Traditional fishing boats- I read something about the round stern being easier to drag nets over (by hand). In this case it’s probably aesthetic. I guess the third son didn’t go to Hampton University and decided to dredge for oysters.

Hampton- Laundry day is exhausting but the air conditioning is pleasant.

This was his perch while I was gorging myself on a Ruben sandwich.

Catalpa is a Cape Dory 28 sailboat. This Cape Dory 10 was the first boat they built in Taunton MA. The rower was a wonderful man who has done a lot of sailing in his life.

Departure from Hampton Roads. Onward! I specifically wanted to leave today due to a southwest wind and the prospect of actually sailing. Catalpa sails much better when she isn’t loaded up with so much cargo but we make due. At one point I was still able to get close to 7 knots. Ray, our autopilot, is overwhelmed at times like this so it’s all hand steering.

Our destination for the day was Jackson Creek. We like the Deltaville Marina. They have showers, ice, diesel, and just about everything else a salt brined pirate needs. I’ve got some electrical work to do. Ollie has a nice frisbee field to conquer. The boatyard has a swimming pool and Lynne is planning on anchoring in it.

Some scenes from Deltaville. This is a travel-lift. It’s used for hauling boats.

They’ve planted two big gardens.

Chesapeake fishing sharpie.

Catalpa anchored in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA

We are going to stay here for a few days. I realized that if I kept pressing on I’d be in NJ or NYC on the 4th of July. I’m still debating where we “should” spend that holiday. I’ve heard all of the fireworks have been cancelled, so maybe it doesn’t matter. We don’t have an itinerary for the Chesapeake. One possibility is Annapolis. On our fall migration we stopped at Solomon’s Island. Solomon’s was a favorite so that’s another possibility. Maybe both?

June 24th- Douglas Landing, Great Dismal Swamp to Hampton River, VA

We enjoyed our evening at Douglas Landing. There were biting insects but not as severe as the Alligator River. Ollie enjoyed the easy land access.

Another long walk before departure.

One more picture from the Alligator River.

Both of us are still fascinated by the Dismal Swamp Canal. Today proved to be a fun and educational day.

After a couple hours of motoring along we made it up to the northern extent of the canal. There is a drawbridge and Deep Creek Lock. The lock keeper operates both. We had about an hour and a half until the lock would open. We tied up to a bulkhead at the bridge.

The lock keeper at the South Mills Lock was a man of few words. Deep Creek lock is another story. Part of the whole Dismal Swamp experience is meeting Robert, the Deep Creek lock-keeper. Upon tieing to the bridge bulkhead, he informed us of the lock schedule and the location of a Food Lion (grocery) about 100 yards from the dock. Steak and ravioli marinara for dinner tonight!

Deep Creek Lock

Tieing to the bulkhead. The water is up. We have to “lock down” around six feet.

Going down.

Lock keeper’s shack. Conch shells everywhere. We’ll bring one back someday.

We were the only boat in the lock and not in any kind of rush. Robert has been working as the lock keeper for over 25 years. He gave us some ice cold bottled water. We talked about the conchs for a while along with the finer points of making a horn. Not only is he a very skilled conch horn player but he is a knowledgeable historian of the canal. I didn’t even know you can get different notes from a conch horn.

Robert: “Ask me anything about this canal.”

Normally the lock takes about 10 minutes. I believe we were in there for an hour. We learned about the history of the canal and the Dismal Swamp. The swamp was much larger and there were multiple canals criss-crossing the area. The canal had six locks before it was deepened. He gave Lynne a book about the old stone mileposts they’ve been finding. Eventually we had to depart but we have a list of questions for our next locking. We hope to see Robert again.

Our next portion of the trip was through Norfolk and the Navy shipyard.

Last drawbridge for a while.

This big ship went by. It had Moldova on the stern but it’s registered to Liberia.

More mothballed cruise ships. These were all Norwegian.

USNS Comfort. Mercy class hospital ship. Recently in NYC due to covid-19.

Next we crossed over Hampton Roads, then up the Hampton River to our anchorage. It’s good to be back in the Chesapeake. We’re going to get some R&R in Hampton for a day or two. It’s much quieter here compared to the Fall migration.

Catalpa anchored on the Hampton River.

Hampton Maritime Center

June 21st- Belhaven to Alligator River, NC

We had a productive few days in Belhaven. Squalls are still ripping through the area but they tend to last only an hour or so. We needed to fill our propane tanks. R & S 66 Services is the cheapest anywhere. Lynne ventured up to the Dollar General for a few food items. Before heading out we docked Catalpa at River Forest Marina for diesel and ice.

Belhaven Squalls.

Belhaven’s unique wooden seawall with River Forest Marina in the background.

We then spent most of the day on the Alligator – Pungo Canal. On the way south we transited this area with many other vessels. Today we saw only three.

This bridge seems to be in the middle of nowhere.

The Alligator River is beautiful. After completing the canal we decided to go off of the ICW and go further up the river for the night. It is surrounded by the Alligator River National Wildlife Preserve. Remote doesn’t begin to describe it. We anchored Catalpa in some charted deep water. As always, the choice was due to there being a boat ramp (down another crazy canal) somewhat nearby. In this case “nearby” was over a mile away. The rest of the banks are swamp so it’s a priority to find a spot for Ollie.

A buoy. We must be on the right track.

After hitting a few underwater stumps and being eaten alive by insects, a boat ramp.

A happy dog. Not that happy. The bugs drove us nuts. He was like a Tasmanian Devil.

A few morning scenes from the Alligator River.

Catalpa anchored on the Alligator River.

June 22nd- Alligator River to Elizabeth City, NC

Due to the remoteness of the location the stargazing was amazing. Unfortunately due to the shear volume of insects the stargazing lasted about two minutes. Even covered with bug spray, they still swarm. Sometimes they just bounce off of you. I’d need a space suit if I was living out here. We were going to anchor again on the Alligator tonight but the insect population won. We have to exit this river.

With Catalpa still being swarmed by bugs, we went down the river and out on the Albemarle Sound. The breeze came up. The sail was unfurled. The bugs left. We had a great crossing. Next up, the Pasquotank River.

I guess this guy didn’t make it.

I kept watching the clouds build and get darker. Catalpa raced up the river toward Elizabeth City. Eventually we realized we weren’t going to make it. We furled the genoa and got out our foulies, lifelines, and life preservers.

When the first squall hit, Catalpa heeled way over from the wind (with no sails up). What a gust! The rain came down. Eventually the wind wasn’t as intense but the lightning made up for it. Riding a lightning rod, in the middle of a big river, during a storm, can be intense. We made it up to Elizabeth City and a wet, rattled, captain dropped the hook for the night. We had more storms but were protected this far up.

One more storm around sunset.

Sunset and a downpour.

June 23rd- Elizabeth City, NC to The Great Dismal Swamp, Douglas Landing, VA

Coffee, curry egg rollups, start the diesel, up anchor.

We had a quiet, peaceful, night. We started the day with the Elizabeth City bridge.

A few more of Elizabeth City.

An old railroad bridge.

Further up the Pasquotank. Into the jungle.

Notice the chair.

The admiral on watch. Scanning the jungle for wildlife.

The lock at Smith Mills. We are inside of it. It’ll raise Catalpa 6 feet. There is some knotweed but it’s nothing as compared to the fall journey.

Onward to The Great Dismal Swamp.

We crossed into Virginia.

On our southern migration we spent the night at the Dismal Swamp welcome center. We’d heard about Douglas Landing from another cruiser. We decided to tie up there for the evening.

Lynne and Ollie getting some exercise.

Catalpa docked at Douglas Landing.

June 17th- Beaufort NC to Burton Creek NC

The rain stopped. We made a breakout from Beaufort. We had planned on staying for two nights. This turned into six nights due to weather. Plans change.

Today’s travel consisted of a slow run up a canal and creek. The latter half of the day was a nice sail down the Neuse River.

Our evening anchorage was in Burton Creek. We stopped here on the way south. It’s protected from most wind directions and has a closed marina for bringing Ollie in to shore.

Oliver’s commando raid lived up to its name. Someone is living in the marina now. There have always been “no trespassing” signs. I just don’t read them. We pulled into the little boat ramp anyway. It’s in a corner, not near the house. I brought Ollie across the street so he could commune with nature. When we got back to the dinghy there was a male hound dog checking it out. Muddy foot prints in the boat. Ollie can be a bit of a loose cannon when surprised (Scottish heritage). I made friends with the hound, got Ollie in the boat, and high-tailed it out of there. The next day we found a patch of dry land along Burton Creek.

June 18th- Burton Creek to Belhaven NC (Pantego Creek)

We had a calm night and woke to a sea of glass. Next time I’m in the area I need to find a better option for landing Oliver. There is a lot of wooded coastline but it’s not easy finding an open/dry spot to land him.

Neuse River. A sea of glass.

We were excited about stopping at R.E. Mayo Seafood again. Their dock is along a canal near the town of Hobucken. It’s a commercial dock for shrimp boats. Docking at it is great practice as it’s very rough. Shrimp boats are steel, Catalpa is not. We eased our way in and secured to the pier. Our large fenders were put to use. Grouper for dinner. Shrimp tomorrow. Their seafood is flash frozen and vacuum sealed. I’d fill the freezer if we had one.

Some scenes from the RE Mayo docks.

Catalpa at RE Mayo docks.

We continued on the ICW path to Belhaven and anchored in Pantego Creek.

Sunset at Belhaven.

June 19th- Belhaven NC

Rain. Hopefully it stops soon. We planned on bringing Catalpa over to River Forest Marina for diesel and water. We also need propane, groceries, and dinghy fuel (gasoline). Belhaven has a good hardware store and we have a list. The forecast changes daily so we’ll just have to keep an eye to the sky.

June 16th- Beaufort, NC

Rain. Lots and lots of rain. It’s raining cats and dogs. Buckets of rain.

We’re still in Beaufort. The weather has been consistently bad. Someone suggested to me a while back that I try the Windy App on my phone. This app gives you local weather with a graphic interface that emphasizes wind speed and direction. This is important to anyone on the water. Another feature is local satellite weather that shows exactly where the rain clouds are and where they are going next. When the rain let’s up I start checking the radar for weather windows where we can dinghy to shore and stay reasonably dry. Today we got in for a few hours of land based recreation.

I feel like I’m living in a fish bowl.

For recreation, we’ve been catching rain water. The water comes off of the awning, goes down the string, and ends it’s journey in the bucket. I then filter it through a Brita pitcher. We’ve filled our water tanks.

Make the rain stop.

It’s been nine months since we’ve left Dartmouth on Catalpa. We haven’t slept on land in nine months. It’s been a great time. I checked the distances last night. Taking the inside route (ICW, bays, Long Island Sound, etc.), from New Bedford to Boot Key Harbor is 1850 miles (1608 nm). By the end of the trip we’ll have taken Catalpa 3700 miles.

There might be a break in the weather tomorrow.

June 14th- Beaufort, NC

There seems to be no end in site to the current weather system that is stalled over the area. There are enough breaks in the showers that we can get to shore for some exercise. We could have left today but tomorrow (Monday) looks even worse. I’m not sure about our next stop. One possibility was Oriental but I was told the harbor is small and there might not be much room to anchor. Most boats are not moving at the moment so that could pose a problem. There are many other anchoring options off of the Neuse River. The problem is Monday’s forecast is counting the rain in inches.

We’re anchored in a pretty good spot in Beaufort. We look like we’re going to ground out on Carrot Island but Catalpa is sitting pretty in 12′ of water. Boats keep coming into the harbor but no one anchors near us. The Beaufort municipal dinghy dock is near. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we seem to be in a pretty good spot to sit out some lousy weather.

We’ve been entertaining ourselves. Lynne has found a few stores that sell food items (and beer). The town docks have ice and water. Ollie has also been getting in some recreation. When the weather is like this we try to keep him as dry as possible since we’re all cooped up inside Catalpa. This morning I decided to bring him over to a beach and let him go swimming. I think he was smiling. Later we went over to the town docks for a fresh water bath (less smiling). The rain stopped for a while so he was able to dry. The Captain tries to keep everyone happy so there are no mutineers aboard.

That’s the news from Beaufort. The weather isn’t supposed to improve much until next weekend. We’ll likely leave before then if I see an opportunity. Belhaven is about 70 miles away. The Chesapeake is around 200 miles. We’ll spend a couple days in Belhaven when we get there then push on up to the Chesapeake Bay.

The harbor is filling up. I hope the wind doesn’t get bad. Due to the current, things can get ugly as the boats start swinging around. We experienced this last Halloween!

View off the back porch. Carrot Island is part of the Rachel Carson Reserve. There are wild horses on the islands.

June 9th- Carolina Beach to Sloop Point, NC

Before leaving Carolina Beach we stopped into the North End Java Stop for coffee, egg sandwiches, and 40lbs of ice.

We had two bridges to negotiate today. I had to wait an hour for one. The other opened as soon as I radioed the bridge tender (not on scedule).

The evening was spent at Sloop Point anchorage in Topsail Sound. I did a little research and found that Sloop Point was a town for only two years. It’s near Surf City. Ollie had some fun chasing birds at the Surf City beach.

June 10th- Sloop Point to Swansboro, NC

Next stop: Swansboro. Both the current and winds helped us along today.

For once we were the first in the anchorage. Two other vessels showed up later. The weather has been mixed and looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while. Later in the night the wind speed increased. Our anchor held well but eventually I had to go on deck to secure a few things.

Morning scenes from Swansboro.

Mr. Intense waiting to launch.

Catalpa anchored in Swansboro.

June 11th- Swansboro to Beaufort, NC

Today turned out to be a sailing day. We started off with the usual motor sailing. Later, I raised the main and was able to shut the diesel down. A few hours later the wind increased so much that I was putting a reef in the main sail. “Reefing” is a reduction of the sail area using various lines. It was difficult to stay in the dredged channel while we were flying along. It seemed that other boaters were surprised to see a sailboat sailing. We quickly got to our destination, Beaufort, and anchored off of the town docks in Taylor Creek.

Morehead City.

June 12th- Beaufort, NC

Last night was a quiet one. Due to weather (and a need to do laundry) we decided to stay in Beaufort for an extra day. Our decks are getting a wash down.

Our trip has always been about the places we stop at. On the way south we spent a few days in Beaufort. There are many nice stores and restaurants. History is on display everywhere. There is a good brewery. There is even wooden boat building happening. I like this place. Unfortunately, coronavirus has put a damper on some aspects of our adventure. North Carolina is having a worrying surge in cases. We don’t see many people or businesses taking precautions. It’s difficult to stay six feet away from other folks. The lack of precautions really bother us. Seeing a bunch of people going about “business as usual,” makes us more worried. I hate coronavirus. Put me first in line for a vaccine. Rant OVER! (Edit- Lynne went into a few local businesses that were using masks. Some required and supplied masks also.)

Weather permitting, we’ll move on tomorrow. We’re not sure about where we’re stopping next. Originally we had planned on spending a few days in Oriental but we’re having different thoughts now. Further debate is needed.

Some scenes from Beaufort.

The docks.

Catalpa anchored under a steel gray sky in Beaufort NC.

June 7th and 8th- Southport to Carolina Beach, NC

The tide came back into Pipeline Basin and Catalpa floated. We both agreed that being stuck was an unpleasant experience. We are used to the constant motion of floating.

Southport.

Maybe we’d qualify for a free meal if we brought Ollie?

We left in the morning (still floating) and caught the flood tide up the Cape Fear river. With the wind behind us and the Cape Fear pushing us along, our speed approached 8 knots. Our day was done in just over two hours.

Snow’s Cut.

We could have pushed on further but we enjoy Carolina Beach. The entrance to the harbor is tricky due to current from Snow’s Cut. Once inside, it is well protected and a no wake zone. The “no wake zone” part is nice because there are a lot of small boats and jet skis zooming around this time of year. Lynne got us a mooring for a couple of days. We relaxed on Catalpa all afternoon. In the evening we had grilled steak, pasta, and a cabernet sauvignon. Afterwards we had an impressive rain storm. We were able to collect around 5 gallons of water which we filtered and added to the tanks.

Just finished grilling the steak before this hit.

Today (Monday) we’re running out more water to Catalpa. We picked up a few things at a mini-mart. We made a stop at Blackburn Seafood for some grouper and shrimp (grouper for dinner tonight). The beaches are packed so we can only bring Ollie over late in the day. It’s hot so we think it’s better to not have him charging around in the mid day heat anyway.

No beach but still having fun.

June 6th- Calabash Creek, SC to Pipeline Canal Basin/ Southport, NC

Oliver is not a big fan of Calabash Creek. The shoreline is all oyster shells. He doesn’t like walking on them. Today we crossed back into North Carolina. Being a Saturday, the small boat and PWC traffic was prodigious. It reminded us of South Florida.

We would not have a favorable current up the Cape Fear river until after 5:30pm. We decided to anchor near Southport so we could head up the river early in the morning. I found a spot called the Pipeline Canal Basin. The name is self explanatory but it is in a park with beaches and a boat ramp. We made it through the shallow entrance to the supposedly deeper basin. We hit ground. We backed off, tried another spot and hit ground again. Third try – hit ground again. This time we were particularly stuck. I dropped the anchor and brought Ollie to shore. It’s low tide and we are stuck in the mud. When the tide comes back in we should be floating again. We’ll stay here for the night. I might move Catalpa when we’re floating or we might just stay in this spot. The tide will be rising again in the morning.

Some scenes from the Pipeline Basin.

The boat ramp.

We’re not pointing in the right direction.

Me trying to find deeper water. I use the oar to sound the bottom. Looks like 2 feet!

Catalpa stuck in Pipeline Basin (Southport, NC)

June 4th- Georgetown to Waccamaw River, SC

My parts came in. The windlass was repaired. Nothing else broke. We enjoyed the extra couple of days in Georgetown. We had seafood every day and are still enjoying left overs. Ollie had some more time to run around with Ralphy.

This Crane hangs around Independent Seafood waiting for shrimp.

Everyone enjoyed our stay in Georgetown.

Our Thursday departure was not ideal for the trip up the Waccamaw River. After consulting the tide and current charts (with an early start) it looked like I’d have four hours of favorable current and then it would turn against me. There is less of a tide further up the river so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.

Now for the real story. As soon as we got into the river the current was slightly against us. This only increased as we went further into the jungle. Research was needed. Due to much rain and a moon tide there is a lot of water trapped up there. A LOT. Eventually our progress was reduced to 2 knots. I ran Catalpa’s diesel at almost the maximum RPMs. The area is all swamp anyway but it was really flooded. Sometimes it was hard to tell apart the ICW from the jungle.

Our anchorage was up by a place called Enterprise Landing. This far up there wasn’t much of a current. There was no difference between high and low tide. Just a bunch of water sloshing around. I had debated tieing up at the nearby Bucksport Plantation Marina but much of their docks looked to be underwater. Our anchorage was just off the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek. It turned out to be a perfect night.

View off the porch.

A quick run out of the creek and across the ICW are two boat ramps for Enterprise Landing. Both ramps (and public parking lot) were flooded. While walking through the water, on my way to dry land, someone pointed out a nearby alligator. Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll use the other ramp in the morning.

Catalpa anchored off of the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek.

June 5th- Waccamaw River to Calabash Creek, SC

Last night we had an almost full moon (one more day). The jungle sounds were like a movie. We were serenaded by the loudest frogs we’ve ever heard. What a pretty spot. We were the only boat.

The good thing about being on top of a big pile of water is going down it. Today was all down hill regardless of tide. Our speed approached 7 knots.

Just north of Enterprise Landing is Socastee. The little town was inundated with water. On our trip South we noticed many houses were on stilts. Now we know why.

Socastee swing bridge.

After passing through the whole area I read that the Coast Guard has declared a “HIGH WATER EVENT”. Mariners should use caution due to extreme currents. Bridges don’t have the proper clearance (our mast fit). The whole area is now a no wake zone. I’d like to add- there is a lot of stuff floating around.

We passed through Myrtle Beach which was also somewhat flooded. After a quick day we anchored in Calabash Creek. It’s not perfect, but it’s good for a night.

Our neighbors.