Nov 30, 2022 Beaufort, NC and Mile Hammock Bay

 Mon. Nov. 28   Beaufort, NC  42 miles

Beautiful weather set in for a couple days of early winter cruising.   We finally got off the dock at 8:45 Monday morning and jostled about for a few minutes waiting on the New Bern bridge's 9 AM opening.  Sunny and 60 made for a fine start down the Neuse River.   Despite a steady 10mph wind it was at least at our stern, so the net effect was it felt like no wind.  Boat started right up and ran flawlessly despite sitting idle for 3 weeks.  

Heading out the New Bern Bridge - which the bridgetender
was quick to remind me was called the Alfred Cunningham Bridge

While a nice day to be out boating it was a rather uneventful day.   The Neuse River is wide and open with little to see as was the transit through Adams Cut.  Then a bit more open water and we entered the side entrance to Beaufort passing Homer Smith marina on the north end of town before working our way to the anchorage across from the town docks.   We arrived a bit past 2 and the field was already full of sailboats.  We circled around before finally settling on a spot and dropped the hook. By nightfall there were easily 25-30 boats at anchor but just one powerboat - us!!  Finished up the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers and some homemade Leek and Cauliflower soup for dinner.  The wind died off and the only movement of the boat was swinging as the tide came and went. 

Twilight arrives at our anchorage

Beaufort holiday lights 

Journey for Nov 28
NEBO update has some bugs to fix

 Tues Nov 29  Mile Hammock Bay 39 miles

7AM start was a bit chilly requiring layers and a toboggan for warmth.  The cool morning was due to a change in wind direction from the NE which picked up over the day but stayed nice and sunny. We wound our way out from Beaufort and past Morehead City before the winds picked up but by then we were in the protected waters of Bogue Sound.  Passed a few sailboats who had left even earlier than us.   Then wound our way past Swansboro and the dangerous shoaling that develops there as evidenced by a a large motoryacht heeled over in the mud. 

Stuck until at least the next king tide

Highlight of the day came next as a big pod of dolphins decided to play in our wake.  Several of them lined up on each side playing, surfacing and jumping in our side wake.  Even better, they stayed with us for an extended time. At times swimming along on their sides near the surface and clearly looking up at us.  

We could watch dolphins playing beside the boat all day and never get tired of them

 

Next up was a successful navigation around a series of dredges working to clear the constant shoal that develops around Browns Inlet.  Ever since my unfortunate grounding years ago while navigating past a dredge, they always make me nervous. No issues today thankfully!  Our timing was perfect for the 11:30 opening of the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge which meant we were nearing our destination.  

Dredge hogging the channel but clearing a bad shoal

Onslow Beach Swing Bridge - the slowest opening swing bridge on the ICW

Mile Hammock Bay is a routine anchoring stop for us when traveling the ICW and always a favorite.  It's on Camp Lejeune property so no leaving the boat and touching their grounds, but there's always something military going on.  As we approached, we got the percussions from some explosives being detonated in the distance.  Once we were anchored (first ones here) we saw a military issue black inflatable moving around and then realized they were following swimmers in wetsuits.  Several teams went through this training. Unfortunately, we couldn't convince them to do a quick bottom cleaning for us!!   Final fun was watching multiple touch and go landings of an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  Pilot got lots of practice with non-stop landing. First coming in from the NW and then from the SE.  

Marines - by land, sea and air

Nice evening to fire up the grill.  Steak, asparagus and a nuked sweet potato.  Osprey landing got a bit tiresome after dark with them finally finishing close to 10PM!!   Nasty weather coming in overnight.  Rain and stronger winds so we plan on spending Wed just anchored here and relaxing.  

Nice sunset in Mile Hammock Bay to end the day

Journey for Nov 29

Wed, Nov 30 - Apparently, Tues. is Osprey practice landing day and Wed is helicopter day.  Same routine in between rain showers.  Even have the frogmen out in the water again. 

Marine Corp Camp Lejeune training in action.
Frogmen in the water, choppers in the air and gunfire on the land!!

Nov. 27, 2022 A Month in New Bern

 Nov 27  New Bern, NC

Synopsis - We arrived in New Bern with plans for a 2 week stay.  The New Bern Grande Marina has some fantastic rates which decrease significantly the longer you stay.  We signed up for 2 weeks and lined up a rental car with plans to head home to vote, check on the house, winterize the water lines to the dock, and do some fall leaf blowing we knew would be overdue.   That planned one week trip turned into 10 days until we got back which left only a few days to enjoy New Bern. Rather than rush things we signed up for a third week. The rate for the third week was basically the rate we normally pay for an overnight stay at a transient dock!!  That gave us time to reprovision before returning the car, better explore the town and take in the tourist activities.  It also meant leaving the Friday after Thanksgiving. Weather forecast was looking less than ideal for the weekend, so we signed up for a fourth week.  That took us through the weekend and the start of New Bern's holiday festivities. Their tree lighting ceremony on Friday at the waterfront park including all the lights around town. And of course, the opening of Santa's workshop with artificial snow downtown.   Saturday evening included an aerial display over the river with one plane shooting fireworks off the tips of his wings as he looped and spiraled around.  Good stuff!  Today (Sunday) we're bobbing around in our slip despite being protected on both sides by big 60' Hatteras motoryachts.  Small craft warning out on the Neuse and gale force wind warnings down at Beaufort, our next stop.  Winds are supposed to die down overnight and allow us to start traveling toward our destination for Dec and Jan - Osprey Marina just south of Myrtle Beach.

Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Friday

Four plane aerial acrobatics team

Aerial Acrobatics and pyrotechnic show on Sat

Our little boat bobbing between some Hatteras yachts.

Some history - We have been to New Bern a number of times over the years. Always by car, so arriving by water gave a unique perspective as to why and how its location made it such a good destination for early settlers and why it became NC's first capital.  The town was founded in 1710 by Swiss and Germanic settlers led by Christoph von Graffenried.  He was originally from Bern Switzerland and so the town was named New Bern.  The early Germanic word Bern means bear and so that animal has become the mascot for the town.  In 2010 during the tricentennial roughly 50 fiberglass bears were painted and placed around the city to showcase sponsored businesses.   They continue adding to the collection and the latest count is now 82.  

Lawyer Bear

In front of a government building

 The Governors House - built in 1770 for William Tryon the English Govenor over NC - became known as Tryon Palace after the American Revolution when it was used as NC's first capital building. The original was destroyed by fire in 1798 but was completely recreated from the original plans on the original foundation back in the late 1950's and continues to be a centerpiece of the town and a driver for saving and restoring so many of the historical downtown homes. 

Tryon Palace 

 Lumber, tar, turpentine and ship building were the industries that created the cities early wealth and expansion.   During the civil war the town was quickly captured by Union Forces and served as headquarters and hospitals for them.  This saved it from the burning and sacking so many other cities experienced.   The city is currently commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the great fire of 1922.  It started at a lumber mill on the waterfront. The volunteer fire dept had limited manpower as many of their men were out of town watching the local high school football team play in the state championship game (they won).  Shortly afterwards an unrelated fire broke out in a residential section of town to the NW.  By the time several firemen arrived at the second fire there were already 3 houses burning.  High winds were blowing and carrying embers from one cedar shingled roof to the next as well as spreading the waterfront fire to an adjacent lumbermill.   Several TONS of dynamite were used to blow up houses and create a firewall to stop the fire from reaching downtown.  By the time the winds died and the fire was contained it had consumed over 40 square blocks of houses and businesses leaving 3500 citizens homeless.  In 1928 a new fire house was built for the competing volunteer fire companies.  The building was physically partitioned down the middle with identical layouts on both sides.  Left side was for the Button Company (formed by Union soldiers during their occupation) and on the right side was the towns original firefighting volunteers - The Atlantic Company.  This system of two separate and competing volunteer organizations lasted into the late 1990's when the town finally established a paid fulltime firefighter organization.

The old New Bern Firehouse - now a museum

Our connection - on our first visit to New Bern back in the early 90's we were considering job changes and relocating back south from PA.  I've always been interested in architecture and historical buildings and so we were driving around looking at houses for sale.   We came across a large Italianate house for sale.  Unique architecture and the only one of that style in town.  It was a block off the riverfront and had been converted into several apartments.  Price was decent and while nothing ever came of our interest and dreams of it, we still go by it whenever in town.  30 years later and it's in better shape now than our first view of it but there is always someone working on it.  I'm sure it must have been the inspiration for the movie "The Money Pit".  Sometimes it may be better not to act on your impulses.

Our "almost" house on Front Street

Thanksgiving - Our neighbors on the dock with their big Hatteras's are liveaboards who own their slips.  When Jim and Betty on Our Adjustment found out we would be staying here for Thanksgiving they graciously insisted we join them and Betty's visiting sister Mary for dinner.  They are also the ones who told us about the holiday activities on Fri and Sat and encouraged us to stay for them.  The meal was much better than what we had planned for ourselves, but also involved eating way too much with all the extra selections.  Boaters everywhere we go are a welcoming and generous group.  This was just another example.

A fun Thanksgiving dinner with Jim and Betty 

And Bailey and Marley too!!

Another perfect end to the day with a sunset over the marina

Nov. 5, 2022 Two Long Travel Days

 Nov. 3  Day 1 - Edenton to Belhaven  100 miles

We are on a schedule.  First time in a while, but we have reservations at New Bern Grand Marina starting on Friday Nov. 4.  We've also got reservations for a rental car there and will travel home for a week.  We'll take care of voting, check on the house, do some leaf removal chores, winterize the water system to the dock and other fun tasks.  Then head back to New Bern for a few days to play tourist. We built in a few extra potential weather days just in case.  

Up well before the sun to get ready for the longest of two travel days.   Not a cold morning but not warm either so we'll be running from inside.  Breakfast done. Engine checks done. Navigation programs set. Power cord retrieved.  We start the engines at first light.  Cast off the lines and Martha eases As You Wish off the dock using the shifters and bow thruster to walk us sideways, then backs us clear of the dock, does a 180-degree pirouette in the small harbor and heads us out the breakwater.   I'm telling you - she wants my job!!

RE Mayo Seafood  on the Pungo Alligator Canal

Traveling the length of the Albemarle eastward we have the waters all to ourselves.  Thankfully it's a bit overcast so the rising sun isn't blinding.  The light NE breeze generates a minor chop but overall our passages on the Albemarle have been mostly tranquil.   As we approach the Alligator River the chartplotter lights up with AIS signals as we catch up to the flotilla of snowbirds headed down the AICW proper.  Mostly sailboats all moving much slower than us.  We pass a few headed toward the Alligator River swing bridge but then get stacked up as the bridgetender needs to clear bridge traffic from his previous opening and wants all the boats in this group to go through at once.  Not a long wait but we jockey around for position and once the bridge opens all the sailboats head for the right side bridge opening.  We head for the left side since there's no upbound traffic.   This move lets us jump ahead of all the sailboats and eliminates the need for a succession of slow passes.  I'm sure this faux pas in bridge transit opening  got us a few comments by the sailors but - c'est la vie!!

Down the balance of the Alligator River then traverse the 22 mile long Alligator-Pungo Canal.  Finally out onto the Pungo River and within an hour we're through the entrance breakwater to the Pantego Creek, past Belhaven and dropping the hook alongside a slew of sailboats with an hour of daylight to spare.   We are definitely in the thick of the southward boating migration but are finding it much more enjoyable running a slightly faster pace than our old boat.  Dinner, a little TV and then bedtime comes early as we prep for another early departure. 

Journey for Nov 3

Nov 4  Day 2  Belhaven to New Bern.  72 miles.  

Weather forecast is calling for a bit of everything.  Nice sunny start to the day.  Easterly breeze around 8-9 kts.  Warming into the lower 70's.  But then showing a good chance of rain showers as we approach New Bern and docking around 2-3 PM.   There is a bascule bridge entering New Bern we'll need to go through that only opens on the hour or half hour and we're shooting for the 2:30 opening.   Again, up before daylight with anchor up at 7:15 and out the breakwater by 7:30. Mostly uneventful other than passing a few sailboats.  Down the Pungo, across the Pamlico River, through Goose Creek, out into the Pamlico Sound and up the Nease River.  

Leaving the Belhaven breakwater as the sun rises

We had been shadowing the Hatteras motoryacht  Southern Snow coming onto the Nuese and when he didn't turn to port to follow the ICW route into Adams Cut we knew he was also headed to New Bern.   Running identical speed as us and staying right off our port side.   There's a defined channel ensuring deep water about 6 miles outside New Bern and I knew at some point I needed to run the engines up to higher rpm's to blow them out after 2 days of slow traveling.  So, I bumped the rpm's up to get clearly ahead of him and then after exiting the channel opened her up and trimmed her out. Good to see we still get WOT at 2900 rpm and speed of 23.5 mph.  Same as with a freshly cleaned and painted bottom. 

Neuse River ferry to starboard as we plan our pass around Southern Snow

Of course, as we're approaching New Bern the skies are getting darker and we can see areas of rainfall ahead.  Buttoned down everything on the flybridge and figured for sure we would be docking in a mess. Unbelievably, the rain passed, the wind died down and we saw multiple rainbows and a possible water spout while waiting for the 2:30 bridge opening.  

Rain on the right, sun on the left, rainbow joining them

Waterspout trying to form??  Thankfully, it didn't.

Stern in docking between a couple of 60+' Hatteras motoyachts went fairly well.  The limited visibility from the pilothouse when stern in docking isn't my favorite activity - much prefer doing that from the flybridge. Anyway, never hit anything so all is good.   Been several years since we last visited New Bern, but this is our first time by boat. The marina has a great weekly rate - even better for 2 weeks, but overall experience has been mixed. No staff to help tie up but thankfully great neighbors who were all hands on deck for us.  Got a pumpout and was flabbergasted when a $40 invoice arrived for it - double the highest we've ever paid!!  

Journey for Nov 4

Nov 2, 2022 Edenton, NC

 Nov 2  Edenton - 17 miles

A really quick and pleasant trip from Albemarle Plantation to Edenton.  Just 2 hours and we were tying up to their newly refurbished town dock.  The one large face dock was perfect for us.  The only other boat tied up was a sailboat. On the trip we noted Vahevala and Crimson Tug on AIS headed out on the other side of the Albemarle.  We stayed 3 nights and found the town to be a delightfully welcoming small southern town very proud of its long history and doing a wonderful job maintaining a vibrant downtown and many large and small older homes.   Had dinner Monday at the just opened Herringbone Restaurant in the renovated old ice house on the waterfront.  Great meal and even better they have 20 taps with assorted craft beers all made in NC.  Of course we got a flight (and even stopped back Wed. for another flight). 

As You Wish tied to the city dock with the 1886 Roanoke lighthouse in the background.
It's the only remaining square screwpile lighthouse.

20 NC craft beers on tap at Herringbone Restaurant.
Named after the once thriving local herring fishing industry.

We walked the town on our own, got the bikes off the boat for another longer extended tour and even took the historic trolley ride to be sure we hadn't missed anything.  Downtown was loaded Monday night for Halloween as kids from throughout the county came dressed up to receive treats from all the shop owners. We got a map at the visitor center showing about 15 of the most relevant historical points in town.   As you move from one to another there are informative display boards at each location providing even more details.  Going up and down the local streets most houses have a white plaque stating the original owners name and year built. It is wonderful to see so many of these older houses restored and maintained.  

A few historic waterfront homes off Queens Anne Creek

The 1758 Cupola house 

The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse - still in use today!!

Because we had so many small mill towns in SC that have disappeared, I was fascinated to see their 1898 cotton mill had been converted to 30 condos but even more impressive was the several streets containing about 50 original mill houses that had been saved and converted to homes.  Edenton makes a claim as being NC's first capital - but so does New Bern.  Depends how you want to interpret history.  Before the hurricane of 1795 closed off the Roanoke Inlet and direct access to the Albemarle Sound, Edenton was a primary colonial port city.   After that it struggled for a while until a rail line connected it to Norfolk in the 1800's and it again became a commercial hub for shipping the regions produce and seafood.  It's another place where the locals seem amazed by the large number of transplants who arrived during Covid.  It's been called one of America's best small towns in several magazines and we could see why.   Glad we waited it out in AP until we could get here.

After almost 2 weeks of overcast skies, we finally had a good sunset. 

Journey for Oct 31