October 24th- Beaufort, NC

With a load of seafood treasure, Evergreen left the RE Mayo docks for the trip to Beaufort on Saturday (the 22nd). There was a gusty wind blowing in the Bay and Neuse rivers. We spent a good portion of the day sailing downwind with our genoa out and only needed to motor in the canals.

Downwind sail with genoa. It took me a while to realise the significance of the 63. Evergreen is hull #63, the sixtythird boat built of that model.

Adams Creek canal.

We are anchored on Taylor Creek in Beaufort. When we got here there were many boats in the anchorage (seems to always be the case). We spent a while trying to find a good place to fit the boat. We are surrounded by big catamarans which take up a lot of space. We really like Beaufort (pronounced BO fort) but the Taylor Creek anchorage seems to always be problematic. There is a swift current and the boats tend to swing in different directions. On our last trip we were here during a storm on Halloween. It was chaos!

Yesterday (the 23rd) was spent on the boat due to rain. We had planned on lunch in town but gave up.

Monday October 24th- The rain has finally stopped but the day is overcast. We toured some of the shops and hit the Turner Street Market for lunch. The Reuben sandwich is still as good as the last time I had one here. Unfortunately, the adjacent brewery was closed today so I settled for a glass of iced tea. After lunch Ollie had some frisbee time and we met a few other dog families.

Some scenes from Beaufort.

Wild horses on Carrot Island.

October 21st- Belhaven to Hobucken/ R.E. Mayo, NC

We had planned for a short day so had a leisurely start. After Ollie’s morning walk, we headed over to River Forest Marina for diesel and water.

Today we passed through a few rivers and ended on a canal off Goose Creek. R.E. Mayo is a commercial shrimpboat dock. The dock is ok. The seafood is outstanding! The dockage rate is 40 cents a foot which is also outstanding for a cheapskate like me. Shrimp for dinner tonight. Red snapper in the near future. We also picked up some New Bedford sea scallops that somehow cost less than when we buy them in New Bedford.

Today turned out to be a big engine maintenance day at the dock. I had a growing list of things to do. Engine work starts off by unpacking about half the boat. I did an oil change and checked over a number of things. One of our engine mounts vibrated loose. I tightened down the offending mount but am not too sure about the engine alignment now. We’ll see how things go on the way to Beaufort.

View off the back porch.

Evergreen docked at RE Mayo Seafood.

October 17th- Dismal Swamp Welcome Center to Elizabeth City, NC

The pier we were tied to filled up in the evening. We had 5 boats. One boat was partially anchored and was able to tie their stern to the dock (creative solution). We rafted up another boat to Evergreen for the night. In the morning we hung around the docks so we could pick up some local peanuts from the welcome center when they opened. We locked through South Mills with another sailboat. We then headed down the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City. Eventually we stopped to empty our engine filter of duckweed.

Parting a sea of green.

Waiting for the bridge at South Mills Lock.

Pasquotank River . Still very “Dismal Swampish”.

Elizabeth City is very welcoming of cruising boats. There are many free docks and it’s also a good anchorage. We docked on the Jennette Brothers commercial pier. They only ask that you spend some money in town.

Evergreen docked at Jennette Brothers pier, Elizabeth City.

October 18th- Elizabeth City to Alligator River, NC

Wind! Sailing!

We left Elizabeth City in the company of a few sailboats that we had met along the way. There was a morning “small craft advisory” for the Albemarle Sound but the wind was blowing the right way and I was looking forward to some sailing. Much of it was down wind which isn’t Evergreen’s favorite point of sail. Reefed sails, full sails, mains’l only, genoa only, beam reach, downwind run. I think the only thing I didn’t do today was deploy the spinnaker pole. We made good time. Eventually the breeze died out somewhere in the Alligator River and we motored to our anchorage.

The Alligator River is one of the most remote places along the ICW. It’s one of the few places where there is no phone connectivity. The temperature dropped throughout the day. We were in for a chilly evening. On the plus side- No Mosquitoes! There is no light pollution out here so the Milky Way was on full display at night. We anchored further up the river than the other boats. There is a state boat ramp and dock up a swamp canal to bring Ollie for his evening commando raid.

On the way to the secret dock.

Evergreen anchored on The Alligator River.

AM commando raid.

October 19th- Alligator River to Belhaven, NC

We had a quiet and cool night on the Alligator River. The woodstove warmed the cabin in the morning. A big breakfast of eggs, cheese, and potatoes was devoured while waiting for the morning to warm up. We eventually headed back down the Alligator River a bit to hook up with the Alligator Pungo Canal. Evergreen had a head wind but the surrounding forrest blocked most of the effects. We exited the canal to the Pungo River and had a short but wet ride to Pantego Creek and Belhaven.

Alligator Pungo Canal.

October 20th- Belhaven, NC

We’re having a shore leave day in Belhaven. We needed a few things in town. Oliver needed some serious exercise. There are many open fields in Belhaven and we deployed both ball and frisbee to tire out the beast. He was satisfied with his fun-time activities.

Evergreen anchored on Pantego Creek in Belhaven.

October 16th- Dismal Swamp/ Elizabeth’s Dock, VA to Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, NC

There is only 22 miles between the two locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal but we like to spend some time in the jungle admiring the flora and fauna.

The duckweed was plentiful but we didn’t draw much into the engine filter. We hit a few big logs shortly after leaving the dock and were on the lookout for the remainder of the day. The canal debris seemed less further south. Since it was a short day I kept our speed down. There was a sailboat behind us that later told us he could see our green bottom paint on the first log we rammed. There is a something to be said about heavy old boats with thick hulls.

Deep Creek draw bridge.

On watch.

We crossed into North Carolina and docked at the welcome center. We wanted to dock right at the only water spigot to fill the tanks. I was very focused on the dock and forgot to look up. No damage done but many branches, leaves, and acorns on deck. I think we hit the same tree with Catalpa. I guess we took out some branches higher up this time.

We had lots of interested visitors throughout the day. This is also the North Carolina visitor center for route 17. Cars pull in and people walk down to the dock to see the boats. We met many friendly people today. Ollie is ready to jump onto the dock at a moment’s notice. We toured some of the state park grounds and the Dismal Swamp museum.

Evergreen docked at The Dismal Swamp welcome center.

October 14th- Deltaville, VA to Old Point Comfort/ Hampton, VA

We get a pretty good workout in the morning on travel days. When living on land my morning exercise routine consists of walking from the bed to the couch and grabbing a cup of coffee along the way. At sea we walk Ollie and prepare the boat to leave. Hoist the dinghy on deck. Lynne packs up the interior so things don’t fly around if Evergreen’s going to be rocking. Then it’s on to raising the anchor and chain with our manual windlass. Finally coffee!!

We had to get fuel before leaving Deltaville. I was hoping the big tri-maran on the fuel dock was going to leave but it wasn’t to be. The Admiral suggested that we might not fit in the remaining space on the fuel dock. We wedged Evergreen in and stopped a few feet short of the tri-maran’s bow.

Happy about getting on the dock without mayhem.

We started the day with a decent north wind. There were some sloppy waves due to the bay current but it was fun to be under full sail for a while. A couple hours later the wind died and we were left with the sloppy sea. We motored our way down the bay and up Hampton Roads inlet. We anchored near the Phoebus Channel and Old Point Comfort. This is part of Hampton VA. We’ve also anchored up the Hampton River in the past but this was a better option as it was late in the day and we were bailing out in the morning. The anchorage is between a highway and the point so it’s more functional than aesthetic.

Evergreen anchored off Old Point Comfort.

October 15th- Hampton, VA to The Great Dismal Swamp/ Deep Creek lock, VA

Evergreen crossed Hampton Roads into Norfolk. We heard something about a submarine on the VHF radio but never saw it. We avoided the various war ships and commercial traffic. The whole area seemed much busier last trip. Maybe there is just less commercial traffic on Saturday.

Some scenes from Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Gilmerton bridge. First drawbridge of the trip not counting the Padanaram Bridge (Our home port).

Shortly after the bridge we made the hard starboard turn up Deep Creek to the Dismal Swamp. We love the Dismal Swamp. It’s not dismal!

We locked through the Deep Creek Lock and tied up to Elizabeth’s Dock for the night. Robert, the old lock keeper passed away but the new guy was great. I was going to ask about the duckweed situation but I could see it was already going to be a problem. Duckweed is a plant but it looks algae and clogs the engine raw water intake filters. I need to keep an eye on the filter.

Ollie is very happy about the dock as it’s adjacent to a park.

Deep Creek Lock

Up.

Evergreen at Elizabeth’s Dock.

October 13th- Deltaville, VA

The weather today was better than expected. We had some rain in the morning but most of the day was ok. Ollie got plenty of exercise on shore leave. He also met several other dogs at the marina and was polite and well behaved (not always the case due to Pirate/ Scottish heritage).

We managed to borrow the marina car today. It’s always an adventure when I haven’t driven in a few weeks. We made the trip to another hardware store and the fish market. Shrimp for dinner tomorrow.

We had dinner at the Deltaville Tap and Raw Bar. The service and food were very good. I had Hatteras clam chowder and an exceptional Reuben sandwich along with a few brown ales. Every region seems to have their own version of clam chowder and I enjoy them all.

Oddly enough, after filling up at the restaurant we were looking at the marina bikes. Neither one of us has ridden a bike in the past 20 years. We went for a bike ride. We survived without injury and may try to do that more often.

Some scenes from Deltaville.

We took this same picture, in front of the same boat, on the last trip.

Evel Knievel getting ready for a big jump.

October 11th- Solomons Island, MD to Mill Creek, VA

Our last day in Solomon’s was extremely productive. The boatyard shuttle transported us and most of our treasures. We filled up with food and booze. West Marine and True Value were also on the list. Most important, was a stop at Captain Smith’s Seafood Market. We procured some red snapper, crab soup, and the best crab cakes we’ve had (so far).

The trip down the bay to Mill Creek was uneventful. Since we had some miles to cover we hoisted the dinghy up on the fore deck. Evergreen cuts through the water better when not dragging the dinghy. Our speed is better and I imagine our fuel usage to be lower. The down side: there is more weight in the bow where the boat doesn’t need it. I believe the pros outweigh the cons. We’re still working on our “dinghy hoisting” technique but it’s working out.

We crossed the Potomac river and entered Virginia.

Point No Point Lighthouse. I believe the little building is the outhouse. Just imagine that on a January morning.

Mill Creek is ridiculously peaceful. Eagles hunting jumping fish. Great Blue Herons doing whatever Great Blue Herons do. Lynne saw two foxes playing on the beach during the morning commando raid. There is a little peninsula with a beach that we bring Ollie to.

Ollie has fully utilized every berth in the boat.

Evergreen anchored in Mill Creek.

Admiral dodging wildlife on the morning commando raid.

October 12th- Mill Creek, VA to Jackson Creek/ Deltaville,VA

This trip down the Chesapeake has been so different from the whole New Jersey/ Delaware part. Calm winds, warm days, benign weather. We’re still having cool nights but nothing compared to a week ago.

We had a short ride today. Captain and crew were up early and finished the day around noon at Deltaville. Jackson Creek has a tricky entrance but we have experience with it so the navigation wasn’t problematic. We were coasting in with a very low diesel tank so I was planning on docking for fuel. Both a huge catamaran and a tri-maran were tied up to the fuel dock, filling the whole pier. We gave up on fueling and dropped the hook. We’ll get diesel before leaving.

Rain and an unfavorable south wind are predicted for tomorrow. We are going to stay at the Jackson Creek anchorage an additional day. We’ve contracted with the Deltaville Boatyard for use of their facilities. It’s a nice yard with good showers and laundry. We may go on an adventure in the loaner car. There is a good fish monger in town. On site is a restaurant and brewpub which is open tomorrow. I really like a good sandwich with a dark beer! We are prepared for a rainy day.

We have been seeing pelicans for the past couple of days. Today I saw my first pair of dolphins.

We learned a few things about living in cold, damp, rain drenched weather. Bashing our way up Delaware Bay introduced saltwater into Evergreen where it could find entry. The following few days were cold and rainy due to the effects of hurricane Ian. Record cold temperatures and several inches of rain made life on Evergreen complicated. Condensation began to form in our clothes lockers. It was particularly bad in my lockers. Eventually I was storing sweaters in garbage bags to keep them dry. Any trips to shore involved bailing out the dinghy in full foul weather gear.

Before leaving Chesapeake City we burned- half of our lamp oil, half of our propane, and 3/4 of our fire wood. We were definitely feeling like we needed to escape the cold damp weather. Onward!

October 5th- Chesapeake City to Wharton Creek MD

I was getting tired of trying to think of novel ways to dry out the boat. The wood stove was the winner but we were going through combustibles at an alarming rate. Time to leave. The weather wasn’t really great but the gusty wind was out of the north and would blow us toward our destination. South.

The Admiral spying the entrance to Wharton Creek. The chart is wrong. The buoys are right.

The rain stopped. The moon came out. We could hear Canada geese migrating late into the night. It turned out to be a beautiful night anchored in Wharton Creek.

The next morning we fueled up with diesel and filled our water tanks. Ollie got a short tour of the surroundings.

October 6th- Wharton Creek to West River MD

SUN!!

There was no wind on the bay but the sun was out and the weather dry. Every clothes pin was employed in the endeavor of drying our stuff. Our transistor radio appeared out in the cockpit and a local rock station enlivened the day. Evergreen’s diesel chugged along happily. It’s amazing how a change in weather can improve morale.

Cargo brick.

Thomas Point Lighthouse.

West River was the choice for an anchorage at the end of the day. There were a few marinas around and we were thinking about getting a mooring so we could use the showers. We got there a little late and decided to anchor out in the river. Ollie’s evening commando raid was at the Chalk Point Marina. The neighborhood was a nice place for a walk.

Sunset at West River

October 7th- West River to Solomons Island MD

Another day of (mostly) motoring in warm, dry weather. We made good time to the Patuxent river. The last hour or so we were able to hoiste all sail and actually sail up the river. The sails needed to dry out too.

Solomon’s Island is a favorite of ours. It’s filled with cruising sailboats and we enjoy the whole vibe. Plan “A” was to eat at the marina restaurant. When we arrived the mooring rates were much higher than our last visit, with a change of ownership at Zahnisers Marina. We opted for dinner at home. I grilled up the last steak and Lynne made pasta and olive marinara.

We’re spending a few days here. The marina has nice showers. A good laundry facility. Ollie has a small field he’s laid claim to for daily ball fetching exercise. The marina also runs a shuttle to the grocery store so this will be a big provisioning stop for us. We need food. Maintenance must continue.

Moonrise on Back Creek at Solomons Island. Almost the Harvest Moon.

October 3rd- Chesapeake City, MD

We’re still anchored at Engineers Cove in Chesapeake City. We had one neighbor but are now the lone boat anchored here. Every once in a while the rain stops for a bit and we get to land. Today’s shore run included hot showers at the marina. Luxury!

We saw this big ship coming down the canal yesterday. Glad we weren’t in the canal.

We’ve put up all of our cockpit canvas to deflect some of the heavy downpours. The temperature has been from the mid 50s F during the day to mid 40s F at night. With wet foul weather gear and a wet dog things are getting very damp. Today we had a lot of hull condensation. We had the same issue on Catalpa when outside temps got cold. Ollie dries off but nothing else does. We started the day off with hurricane lanterns lit. Progressed to firing up our Little Buddy propane heater. Eventually I dug out the wood stove chimney and some fire wood out of the lazarette. I installed the wood stove last winter, replacing an ailing diesel stove. We haven’t had an opportunity to test it yet but I packed in a bunch of wood to burn before we departed. Being a woodworker, I have an almost unlimited supply of scrap wood. The stove was lit. We’re happy with the new wood stove. It puts out a decent amount of heat and Evergreen’s salon is drying out.

The rain and wind looks like it’s going to continue for another day or two. If the weather isn’t too bad tomorrow we might travel a little further down the C & D and anchor up a river. Both the Bohemia and Sassafras river look interesting and we need a change of scenery.

Evergreen anchored in Engineer’s Cove, Chesapeake City.

September 30th- Cohansey River, NJ to Chesapeake City, MD

Last night the wind died down and we had a nice sunset. The morning brought steely grey skies and a northeast wind. It was unnecessary for us to leave early due to tide and current. We had coffee, a light breakfast, and got Evergreen ready for another day of pounding up this damn bay.

Today we had some of the same problems. The big difference was the wind velocity was less. After leaving the Cohansey River we set our genoa and made our way up the bay. It was a wet ride but the sea conditions were less threatening.

Permanent frown stuck to my face.

Eventually we had to point up directly into the northeast wind and fired up the diesel engine. We took some water into the boat due to pounding against the waves but much less than yesterday. The prize for all of this wet work was the C and D canal and Chesapeake City.

The waves and spray stopped as soon as we entered into the canal. 15 minutes later we were peeling off wet foulies and having lunch.

Calm water in the canal.

There are many cruisers moving south right now and many were dealing with the bay and taking the C & D canal to the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake City has a small anchorage along the canal. It’s a great spot. We were pretty sure it was going to be full so we had a plan “B”. To our surprise, there was only one boat and they were leaving! We anchored right in the middle and let out a bunch of chain with our anchor. We’ve sat out some bad weather here on our last trip and it worked out well.

There is supposed to be a bunch of wind and rain for the next few days due to the effects of Hurricane Ian. The coast is getting heavy winds but it’s much less in this big ditch that was dug between the bays.

The admiral has contacted a marina and secured hot showers for us. There is a tiki bar with good pizza. Ollie likes the dinghy dock and has had some freedom. He’s also had plenty of ball catching action. We brought a few tennis balls with us but he finds them everywhere we go. We build up a surplus over time.

We’re going to rest here for a few days. We all need a break.

Some scenes from Chesapeake City.