The ICW (fondly known as the Ditch)

There was a good chop on the bay as we bounced south across the James River and headed into Norfolk and the beginning of the Virginia Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). On the suggestion of friends who have gone before us, we decided to stay “inside” on the ICW to Beaufort, NC, rather than venture “outside” into the Atlantic Ocean and south around Cape Hatteras. This late in the year, the weather rounding the Cape can be a bit dicey, plus the ICW offers us the occasional dock (think heater) on these still cold nights. One of the limiting factors on the ICW is the bridges. Most have a vertical clearance of 65 ft at low tide, and we are lucky that our mast, at 59 ft, will clear them. There are also several that must be opened – some on demand, and some on a schedule – typically hourly.

As we entered the Elizabeth River our boat suddenly felt very small compared to the ships docked at the Norfolk Naval Station and the Norfolk International Terminals.  The entire left bank was lined with giant aircraft carriers and destroyers, followed by huge container ships.  The industrial feel continued for about 10 miles until we entered the “Virginia Cut” and the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. There is one long lock on this stretch, with a 1 to 2 foot drop to manage the difference in the northern and southern tidal flows. We were delighted to find that one side was entirely padded with huge rubber bumpers! Sure wish the grungy locks on the Erie Canal had something like this, instead of having to use our own fenders – which, even after cleaning, will never be quite the same.

We tied to a dock just the other side of the lock for the night. With several services close by, we made a bike trip to run errands and hit the grocery store. Upon our return, a man from a nearby trawler came over to invite us to dinner – his wife was from Grand Rapids and of course they had noticed our Michigan hailing port.  We already had dinner in the oven, but we chatted about the trip. They were leaving their boat here for the winter, but invited us to visit and use their personal dock on Mobjack Bay off the Chesapeake if we return next Spring!

We left early the next morning to be sure we could make Coinjock, the only dock between us and the Albemarle Sound. We followed the buoys marking the channel down the North Landing River, and into the narrow cut that bisects this small town. The dock stretches along the river bank for 1500 feet, and the dock hands wedged us in, leaving just a foot or two on either end. Even though we were seasonally late for the southern migration, the dock was busy with several sailboats and several more very large power boats. We enjoyed good seafood at the marina restaurant, and chatted with the other boaters about a weather window for crossing the sound. The 14-mile crossing of this shallow bay (20 feet was the deepest we saw) can present a rough ride with high winds against the tides. Given the predicted 15-20 knot north winds, we decided to hang out one more night and wait for the lighter southwesterlies to kick in.  Haha, what started out well in the morning became 15-20 knots on the nose, but we persevered until we got to the anchorage area at the southern end of the Alligator River. It was such a relief to pull into the lee of a marsh bank and sit in quiet water!  The sunset was beautiful, and the good news about the cold evenings is that there were no bugs (reportedly a big deal in warmer weather!).

Our next leg followed another canal cut through the marshes. The Alligator River – Pungo River Canal runs for 12 miles connecting the two rivers.  It was another “African Queen” day as we motored along, taking care to stay in the center of the ditch, which was littered on either side with intimidating tree stumps. We then followed the Pungo River to the small town of Belhaven. We had only intended to spend one night here, but again became captivated with the spot, and the other cruisers we met here. One night turned to two, it warmed to 70 degrees, and when our neighbor Mike offered the swim platform of his Grand Banks trawler for installing our monitor self-steering wind vane, two more days were quickly added!  We had searched from Annapolis through Georgia for a technician who could do this, to no avail.  Now we were able to back Ritual right up to the perfect deck and do it ourselves! It is a bit scary to drill holes in your boat, and we spent a lot of time fitting and marking before finally getting the struts in place.  We had detailed instructions and drawings, and in the end, it came out very well!

Belhaven is small, but there is a fantastic hardware store right across the street, along with a few good restaurants. The marina is also small, but offers a lovely deck, lawn sports (croquet, corn hole, putting green!), large bathrooms, whimsical décor, and 3$ wine and beer! We enjoyed the sunsets and getting to know our fellow cruisers – one which we had met previously, and 2 more we are still in touch with.

With the weather again turning colder, we headed out for Beaufort, NC.  We spent one night at anchor up Broad Creek, then ran with following seas south past Oriental toward Beaufort.  As we neared the entry to Adams Creek, and what was to be the last of the ICW for us, two huge shrimp boats appeared on our stern, moving straight toward the same entrance.  They would not answer on the radio, so we throttled back to let them pass, and it was actually helpful to watch them maneuver through the shoaling entryway and follow their tracks. We took a slip at Town Creek Marina in Beaufort (pronounced Bow-fort) to wait for a weather window to finally head offshore. We dined with the crew of Toloa, and met up with the crews of Simple Pleasures and Licorne (all had been in Belhaven with us).  The harbor area and little downtown were full of boats, shops and restaurants, all decorated for Christmas. The marina offered a courtesy car so we could visit the grocery store, Ace hardware, liquor store and seafood market.  We were sorry not to have time to visit the Rachel Carson Reserve, just across the bay, with its beaches, wildlife and even wild ponies! 

It seemed we finally had a good forecast to head south towards Florida, with plenty of options for plan B if things got uncomfortable.  We headed out the inlet on the ebbing tide, following Licorne, though we lost them within a few hours.  Seas were only a foot, and winds were light as we motorsailed south. It was midnight when we skirted Cape Fear and its infamous shoals, but the large moon helped with vision, and there was only an occasional distant boat on the radar. Unfortunately, our auto-helm steering kept going off track, so we took turns hand steering. (Not only was the monitor windvane not yet rigged to the steering wheel; it only works when we are actually sailing). The moon set around 3 am, turning the world to black.  Waves and wind were both growing (NOT part of the original forecast!), and we were tired. Continuing on would mean another night at sea to safely enter a good inlet. In order to make the ride more pleasant, we raised sails and turned on a reach, heading for Winyah Bay to our west.  It is amazing how much better the boat feels when under sail, even in rough seas!

We entered Winyah Bay and made our way upriver to an anchorage just before the ICW, greeted by dolphins and eagles! We debated about visiting Georgetown – reputed to be a very historic stop, but it was 10 miles out of our way, so we decided to press on. After a gorgeous and quiet night we motored into the ICW once again. The issue on these stretches of rivers/canals is depth.  We entered on a rising tide, but by the time we passed McClellandville, the tide was at dead low.  It was a little creepy looking at the mud banks on either side of us! We continued, watching the depth sounder and charts closely, and managed to make it all the way through to an anchorage near the Isle of Palms, just outside Charleston.  We found a good spot in the marsh, with distant views of the Charleston Bridge and homes on a bluff.  This would have been a good inlet to return out to sea, but the forecast was now for NO wind, and since we would be motoring anyways, we opted to continue on the ICW.  It was a bit sad not to spend time in Charleston, but a day would not have been enough, so we opted to save it for a possible return in the spring. 

We motored on to another marsh anchorage, and then to Beaufort, South Carolina (this one is pronounced Bew-fort).  We managed to time the shallowest cut to the highest tide this time, and arrived at the marina by 3 pm.  We had heard good things about this town and it did not disappoint!  The marina is right downtown, which has nice shops and restaurants, and is fronted along the waterway by a large park.  Homes date from the 1700’s – antebellum, surrounded by huge live oaks dripping with moss. It has warmed up again, and we spent Friday night watching the outdoor movie (Goonies – an old favorite!) in the park.  Many movies were filmed here –including The Big Chill, The Great Santini, and parts of Forrest Gump. We loved the chocolate shop (apparently so did Tom Hanks), and indulged ourselves a bit! We have been debating about spending Christmas in Savannah, but everything will be closed, so we are planning to head for Hilton Head tomorrow, and on from there.  Hopefully we can be in St. Augustine, FL by New Years Eve, where we look forward to spending a little time and catching up with MT Pockets, our buddy boat from back in New Jersey!

We’re finding Christmas with big bits missing; our friends and family. We suppose its one of the payments for the lifestyle we have now chosen. We will focus on the opportunities we will have in the new year for visits from all!

Wishing you all a peaceful holiday!  Merry Christmas and a safe, sane New Years – Lisa and Fred