Annapolis Spring 2019

     Back at the Annapolis Library in Eastport again!

     While we were in Wrightsville Beach this year I experienced 3 offshore gales in 3 weeks making it a bit rough in the anchorage at times. Luckily the gales didn't actually occur on shore so the winds only got near 30 knots or so. Bad enough. The anchor held well as we had plenty of rode out and the holding is good except for one spot. How do we know which spot is not good? Well, you could guess.

     I also found out they now have a 10 day maximum time you are allowed to anchor. How did I find that out? Got a warning notice from the local Ranger. Had a long conversation with him and was allowed to stay a bit beyond that time. Until Carol came back from her work trip. We won't be staying that long in the future due to a work schedule change we're planning on in the summer and knowing the new rule, we'll plan for it. We wondered why the local long term boats were no longer anchored there. Thought it was the hurricane blowing the trash out.

     Any way we got all our boat work done - alternator replacement, fluid changes, etc. - and headed back up the ICW. Mile Hammock at Camp LeJeune was our first stop but first we had to go aground just past New River Inlet. The markers are out of place but we did fine until just past the inlet channel when we went aground slightly to the red side of the channel. That growing shoal has not been addressed recently, just the ones associated with the inlet. Those are pretty bad, too.

     Going through the Browns Inlet area of the ICW and the Marine firing range was a snap as that area has been recently dredged, too. That dredging only lasts a year or so, fine in the spring, poor in the fall. Sigh.

     Our next day had us stop at Jarrett Bay for fuel only to find they were closed. This slowed us down enough that we did not get to Cedar Creek until after the rain caught us. The good news was we beat Louisville in the NCAA WBB regional final to head to the Final Four for the 12th consecutive time.

     The next day was our Neuss River/Pamlico passage. Once again we violated our rule about not going on the Neuss when the wind is out of the north. Bad weather was coming and we wanted to get to a safe place. The Neuse started out bad (1 1/2 ft seas) and then got worse (3-4 ft seas and bashing into them). Three and half hours of misery. Sigh (again).

     We went into Belhaven where we often anchor but stayed at the Town Dock at $1 per foot per night. No services but a very narrow, protected spot for the wind direction. It blew very hard and poured down rain. The wind also blew the water out of the area. There isn't much tide, water level depends on the wind direction and strength. It went down several feet but came back in time for us to leave two days later.

     We then went to the Alligator River to anchor in a southern spot we've used before. Did not hook a tree on the bottom and our trip the next day up the Alligator and across Albemarle Sound was pretty easy. Nice.

     We anchored at a new spot to us because of the distance and time of our legs here which all had to do with our timing to get to Annapolis and the weather we'd encounter. The spot was on the north side of Buck Island between Shiloh and Coinjock, NC. Fairly close to the ICW so we got some day wakes. There were no trees nearby for protection but the weather was not windy and we were fine.

     From there we went to the free dock at Great Bridge. En route the Centerville Turnpike was nice enough to delay their opening for our arrival and the RR bridge that screwed us a couple of years ago opened just as we were approaching it after a slow train went over it.

     We stayed two nights at Great Bridge (don't tell anyone, you're only allowed one) and then had an easy passage up to Hampton, VA. We had another coupon for a free night there at the City Pier and did our laundry.

     Then it was back to the Chesapeake Bay. When we get here it seems like we're almost home. We're not, it's several hundred miles away, but the Bay is very similar to Long Island Sound so we start thinking of home. The passage from Hampton was better than we guessed it would be. The seas at the start were behind us and eased as we went north and the day went on. We stopped in Reedville, up Cockrell Creek, for a passing, short-lived storm. Then it was on to Solomons Island in near flat conditions.

     The passage from Solomons was in forecast Small Craft Advisories. Turned out it was absolutely flat calm for four of the six hour trip and less than a foot seas after that. We'll pay for that.

     So here we are in Eastport/Annapolis. In Back Creek. We anchored for two nights then went to a municipal mooring for three nights as the weather turned very breezy, gale force in fact. A downpour after midnight on Sunday, Monday morning, was the hardest ever experienced on the boat. And we've been in tropical downpours. Felt like the blast of a firehose for quite some time. After that it was back to anchoring for a couple more nights. Moorings cost $30 per night. We're too poor for that.

     Our trip home is going to be tough to start with. Another gale is forecast so we plan to head up the Bay to Worton Creek to hide out and be ready to stage for our trip down the Delaware Bay and off shore to New York and Long Island Sound.

     We'll see how it goes.