And the adventure begins!

12/8/13

Coinjock NC, STBD side too, with two head lines, two crossed springs, one inshore and one offshore stern lines, receiving, power and internet services from shore. The galley is closed and food and beer chits are available to all crew.......I have been warned, however even the not so good parts of life are part of the experience, so I am going for it, 32 OZ of Dead Cow, a football game, and a few beers with my fellow travelers........it may not be perfect but it is why I am out here......


So the day......departed perfectly, single handed in a stiff current....lined up with the rest of the boys and girls and made it through the bridge, had a very nice run to the locks, which are back in operation, then a few more bridges, then the sound! I have to hand it to them, they have the entire bridge lock transit time thing figured out for the trawlers......make the 0800 Steel Highway opening, and then every thing clicked with the exception of Centerville turnpike bridge which had some difficulty opening, but the PW electrician was there. In what I would consider a reasonable time, and the Bells Rang, the Birds Sang and the Swing Bridge opened!

Not to many boaters out there today, but saw both ends of the spectrum.......one sport fisher I swear he was trying to dig a hole! no call! just came up and thankfully my stabalizers were on, as they got a work out......then there was one of the newer express cruiser and he called we both slowed down and he gave me a great pass....he is astern of me now so I will be buying him a beer tonight......but the best of the worst was the Berty that came on hard, again no call, not even a whistle signal, he comes up on my port for an overtake.......as I was veering to port due to swell and winds.....well, I fight to stabilize course, and chop the throttles, and no crunch it was not even that close, just some one who does not know or live by the COLREGS......he passes, no wave no nothing, then he decides to really show me how it is done... Grabs the smoke sticks and puts them to full smoke, promptly heads out of the channel and abruptly discovers why no one else is over there.......fortunately, he and I worked together and got him off, with no apparent running gear damage......he and I are also docked at Coinjocck and he is buying the beer for me tonight.....

My real life that pays for this adventure and style of living, has ingrained into me certain things, one of which is don't be dead right......

Go Forward Plan:
Check WX, then head South, I am truly in new territory now, and enjoying every second of it......if there are any recommendation of suggestions of places to see, or anchorage to stay,I a am all ears!

Hope to see y'all out there!

Will...great update. When you wake from that beef and beer I'm looking forward to hear what's next. A short day to Alligator Marina or push on and anchor out in the chilly weather coming your way.

Dave

Will, you have some big water coming up (North River, Albemarl,& Alligator river ). Be
real careful going into the Alligator river inlet. Follow markers closely...Good luck, & enjoy your meal....

Frank

Gold star for doing the right thing by the Bertram who waked you. I hope he learns from your example and a quiet chat over a beer, with you and your other new on water friend.

Hummmmm.......holding at the pier, as we are down to 1/2 mile visibility.....think I will wait for it to open up a bit......unlike the Chesapeake bay I am in new territory, and what is the rush!

Ok so I know that every one has been wondering and waiting to plan their trips based on my culinary evaluation of the Dead Cow...........well the claim was that it was cooked fresh every day, and the judging panel agreed with the presentation that indeed it was a fresh piece.......plating was comparable as to what one would expect....hey it was not on a Dixie Plate, it was cooked to my request.....how hard is that I want rare, to raw......so basically they were able to put a piece of dead cow on a plate and bring it out......

Criticisms: the crusting was not quite to the standard that I usually like......it was bone in, so a lot of the weight was in calcium......I believe that what I am used to more is the steam ship round.....the fat content was not what I would consider excessive, the horseradish was crappy, Sysco stuff, so that kind of sucked, had to ask for sour cream....

The salad was nothing to write home about, but it was pleasant.......

Summation.........it was not the best piece of Dead Cow that I have ever been served, however the atmosphere, company and glow from a few glasses of wine, made it a perfect evening......no I would not eat here every weekend, but when passing through, hell yeah.....

Take it for what I charged you for it.........

Hope to see y'all out there!

Only made it to Alligator River Marina today.....bad visibility only got worse for a while, and wouldn't you know it, just after you pay your bill to. The nice lady at the marina it opens up CAVU!

More latter!

Better than a blog, Will. Great being along with you.

12/9/13

STBD side too Alligator River Marina. What a great day, not much distance but made it safe and sound!

Started with a WX hold, then when the determination was made that the weather was improving, off to the races! Well visibility was not great but once underway it was dreamed sufficient to continue! For the most part the worst was 1 to .5 miles, some sections got down to 1/8th of a mile.......impromptu formations stemming in a modified I formation, I was guide. I figured out really fast that no one wants to be first....imagine that. Most steaming was done at 5 to 6 knots, and only one section where the depth sounder tried to let me down. Ended up stalling the Port main but not due to grounding, just low heat and a rapid shift astern to kill the way. The twin disk electric throttles I thought were supposed to have enough daly to prevent this......restarted and back on two. I do appreciate the low, mid and high idle settings, and used them extensively today.

I lead a convoy of three boats out into the sound the declared independent steaming, and set off at my blistering high speed cruse of 8.5 kts, made good time and we spread out. Until we got to the funnel of middle bank approach to the alligator river. USCG was out in their Minnie buoy tender and believe it or not that caused more havoc than I ever though possible.....one of the independent steamers wanted to follow the USCG in and what I interpreted as begging basically said he would wait to follow them in......the Guard was gracious and explained that they may not. Be a. Good idea as they were going slow and had work to do...IE stopping and working on marks....

Well I put out a security call and proceeded inbound through middle bank with no less than 12 feet on the sounder......after all I had read about the bank and the entrance to the river I was actually glad to do it in the fog, as I would have been scared if I could have actually seen what I was navigating through....near the bridge it opened up to 2 miles and now I had 5 boats in trail......how that happened I have no idea, but boy were they tucked in close.....we made it into port and all are fast and every one is happy that we are safe in port.

I did have to barrow a plunger from one of the boats as I feed my vacuflush to much TP but thankfully that was a quick fix!

One mechanical casualty from today, my air horn compressor is acting up and tripping the breaker, so note to self, purchase and install a bigger more heavy duty compressor, or find an engine mounted one!

Another observation is that as soon as you pay your marina fee the visibility will clear up just to spite you! LOL!

Had a great fried dinner at the Shell Station that is the Marina Office! The fried Okra was worth the trip!

Go Forward Plan.......WX, WX, WX.......as Forest Gump once said "That is all I have to say about that........" I have another 5 water days left until I need to get my car back and go back to work.....so I am looking for marina recommendation from here to Points South to leave the boat, get the bottom done, and a new Simrad electronics package installed and recommendations would be appreciated, please PM me with any contact info.... The boat will have a 4 week window where it will need to sit...

Hope to see y'all out there! At least on radar!

Greetings,
Mr. Will. Good to hear of your adventures AND you did not have as terrible a meal as I experienced at Coinjock. As far as your compressor....Do you have an oiling port on it? Might be the innards are in need of some lubrication. A shot or two of oil may give your breaker a rest.

Will, Morehead City has alot of marine services available. Probably a good place to leave the boat would be Morehead City Yacht Basin. Good protection, and conveniently located.

Will,

This is an awesome thread, and one that I'm enjoying immensely!

...Grabs the smoke sticks and puts them to full smoke, promptly heads out of the channel and abruptly discovers why no one else is over there...

Click to expand...

As Larry the Cable Guy says', that right "thar's" funny, I don't care who you are!"

Like the knuckleheads that can't wait to pass in town, only to have you pull up next to them at the next stoplight.

Glad there was no damage or injury. Maybe next time, he'll think first...how were the beers?

Look forward to more when you return.

Stay safe out there.

OD

Will, glad to see that you made it ok across the Albermarl. We stopped @ the Alligator Marina last year on our way up from Oreintal N.C. We liked it. Hope the weather improves for you soon...

Be safe,

Frank

Will -

Thanks for posting on your trip! Weather looks reasonable today, you should likely make Oriental I would think. How far you planning?

I really enjoy the East Coast cruising threads and Will, you are a great story teller. I'm loving the adventure.

The Pacific is; leave port, bash the seas until you make another port. The ride downhill is usually smooth, uphill has sunk quite a few boats. It's a head banger

Early day today.....stopped in Dowry Creek......might have made it further but why?

Compulsory boat pic! More after happy hour.......

Will said:

Early day today.....stopped in Dowry Creek......might have made it further but why?

Click to expand...

As has been so often said, "It's the journey, not the destination." For me that has always been true of cruising. Following your travels over very familiar territory with both enjoyment and nostalgia. Keep writing!

12/10/13

Dowry Marina.......and Happy Hour!

Port side to one head, two springs, one inshore and one of shore line, receiving power WiFi, water and trash. Removal from shore.

Days run was good. Departed Alligator River Marina, and made the bridge, made sure that I wished the tender a "Merry Christmas", after the bridge the USCG were tending to the marks, gave them a slow bell and also wished them a Merry Christmas, and thanked them for their service.....that seemed to catch them off guard, which was a nice......

Weather was in and out today, at times the vis was great and at times I could not see the wipers on the windows. Made the transition from the river through the cut into the Canal with out incident. Once in the canal it was very pleasant, vis opened up and no opposing traffic. I over took one sail boat with a slow pass, and then shot the bridge. The wild life was out today, lots of herons and a few late morning raccoons, I saw two osprey and one bald eagle. A few times I had to drift past logs and other large flotsam. Near the end the vis close back in and the rain started, at the last bridge it opened up and I had the only a posing traffic in the form of a 30 foot center console, who was a courteous fellow. We chatted about the wether and bade each other a merry Christmas.

Once out into the open front passage occurred, as the winds picked up and the temp dropped 10 Deg over the span of 20 min. At one point I thought I smelled a burning smell, but it quickly passed, due to the narrow channel, and it's quick passage, I watched the gages and listened for changes in the mains. Fortunately every thing kept running, but due to the winds I decided to stop for the day. Turns out the burning smell was one of my alternator belts letting go

Ergo I am now at Dowery Marina, and have made the aqua trance of an eclectic assortment of people. The crew from Dowry were very helpful in securing the boat, and I had no issues in the channel,and the approach to my assigned birth was strait forward. The prices are very reasonable.

Happy hour was great, lots of good conversation and every one had a great time. Tons of food, and it talked at length to a retired Lobsterman, who had tons of stories, and. Reminded me of my few trips from my childhood to Main to visit family. Trike salt of the earth hard working strong individuals........

Go Forward Plan: replace the pooched alternator belt on my Port main, then weather watching.....the forecast is for lower temps but improved vis and higher winds....oce the alternator is back and running evaluate moving on, if not, another Happy Hour!

Stay tuned.....as the adventure continues.....

For all that have given feedback and encouragement, I am reading them and taking notes, and I am sorry that I have not responded to each post in kind, please keep the ideas flowing and as this winds down I will continue to post the adventure!


As always......Hope to see y'all out there!

Have you tried the MAIS App?

I downloaded this to my iPhone a while back. Locates your position while cruising.

MarineTraffic - the most popular online service for vessel tracking - AIS Marine Traffic

See other boats as well...

Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions - AIS Marine Traffic

Enjoy

12/11/13

Ok so I think I have every thing tried up and fixed, underway in the cold in the morning! Great place here at Dowry Creek......it hurt so bad having the bright clear skies and low winds, to have to sit in port and let the day slip by.....but some times the old girl needs that little bit of extra attention, and she got it today....

Go Forward Plan:

Head south and start early........watch for ice on the decks and docks!

As long as the WX holds I will actually take pics and post them!

Hope to see y'all out there!

One of the upgrades will be a class B AIS transponder, but until the, I do like and at times live on those sites!

Will,
Love your voyage report, keep it coming.
Cheers
Benn

Good morning every one! Pointed down track, with an early departure......this pic sums it all up......now I just have to pay all the overtime to my crew for the early call out and penalty meal! LOL!

Looks like a great day on the water!

Dave

What's the air temp when you depart in the morning? It was in mid 40s when I was doing my trip. The first thing I did every morning was crank up the heater on the bridge to get the heat wave going while I'm getting ready to depart. I guess it's much colder now in the mornings. The good thing is that you keep moving South.

What's the water temp now? What's your next port of call?

Safe travels. Keep the updates coming.

This morning the dock was frosty, the lines were stiff and the sea temp was 59 deg......in all notto bad, but South is the direction to head!

Another pic...

Here in Stuart, we're getting a break from the usual mid 80's to the high 70's today. I figure you ought to be back in sandals by the time you get to Jacksonville.

Will said:

This morning the dock was frosty, the lines were stiff and the sea temp was 59 deg......in all notto bad, but South is the direction to head!

Another pic...

Click to expand...

Hobucken!!

HarborCam | TownDock.net | Oriental NC News, Weather, Photos

Town dock Oriental showing space at 11:00am. The Bean has great coffee!

Or Beaufort if you're going that far...

http://nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/experience/marine-lab-webcam

12/12/13

And this chapter closes, but the story is just beginning.......

Made fast STBD side too Jarrett Bay, receiving power, potable water, trash removal and phone service from shore......I swear I am choked up as I write this, because this adventure has been more than I could have dreamed of.


The estimators have been down and by tomorrow I should have estimates for new bottom paint, Simrad package, storage and what not........so yes now every one can say "He went to Jarrett's" I am ready for the ribbing!

Over the past few weeks we have all been on this adventure and even though single handing, I have felt that you all were here with me, and waiting to hear of the next day and the challenges and events that befell LOTTIE and I.

I have made the acquaintance of numerous people and seen wonderful kindness from strangers, and made new friends. Out here on the waterway I have seen the America that i think has been missing for so long......and for that I am sad to have to come ashore for even a few weeks and return to work.

Enough waxing nostalgic, down to business, and a little follow up on some of the people and boats that I have seen:

Getting an estimate for replacing the Big Bay computer with a Simrad plotter, removing the old Furuno also for a Simrad, and removing the B&G down sounder for a Simrad unit, network it all together. One of the nice to haves is to have a smaller slave unit run back to the Master Suite so I can monitor the anchor position and watch the plotter and radar if needed while on the hook. Also acquiring more Cat parts for my trusty 3208's, and getting one of my Norther Lights generators looked at as it has an exhaust manifold leak......along with bottom paint, that should get the old girl some new shoes for the next leg, in about 5 weeks.

Update on the Berty that waked me and then got stuck. The owner is a very nice fellow, and we had a great time at Coinjock, and we have been keeping in touch.....so from his own mouth I have found out that he is on the hard having his props replaced and struts fixed......apparently he went aground several more times and finally found that rock he must have been looking for.

My zero visibility convoy partners have safely made it to their destinations and are having a great time, and enjoying the clear skies!

In the mean time, I have to recover my vehicle in Baltimore, make it to Florida to pay sales tax, and get my butt back to work, I have to pay for this some how!

Thank you again to all who have read this and added suggestions and advice, also for the encouragement. I think that this was some of the best of what the internet can be. Thanks for taking this section of my trip with me!

Until, chapter two.......I hope to see y'all out there!

Regards,
Will
&
M.V. LOTTIE

BT.......

Thanks for having us along, glad to hear you are stationed in a rebuttal boat yard, looking forward to part II.