Coinjock to Beaufort NC - 2017

--Blogpost written by Bob

Coinjock to Alligator River

We had a fantastic prime rib dinner last night with mashed cauliflower (like mashed potatoes) and a salad at Coinjock Restaurant—this restaurant is well worth the stop here.

Due to the cool, windy weather, no one wanted to be seated
outside at the Coinjock Restaurant last evening.  The
mast in the background is that of s/v Rainy Days.

We left our slip at Coinjock Marina, along the North Carolina Cut on the ICW, at 6:45 AM on Sunday, November 5. (We turned our clocks back one hour last night, so it felt like 7:45 AM.)  We had to wait until the boats left in front of us and in back of us so we could safely get out—we were packed in like sardines in a can. Power boats with remote-controlled bow thrusters have such an advantage in tight quarters!

We motored south on the North River, across the Abermarle Sound, and into the Alligator River. 

Our ICW flip chart and a jar of mixed nuts are our constant
companions on our long motoring days on the ICW.

We had very little wind today and it was much warmer. It was completely overcast until about 9:30 AM when the sun finally appeared. The temperature reached 71 degrees today.

The highlight of our day was going through the Alligator River Bridge--the bridge that closes tomorrow for two weeks.  There was a lot of boat traffic going through the bridge, boaters like us, who are trying to make it before the maintenance shutdown starting tomorrow.

The Alligator River Bridge is a swing bridge.  The opening portion
of the bridge rotates and allows an opening for northbound
and southbound boats simultaneously.

The Alligator River Bridge closing behind us.

Our anchor was deployed at 2 PM near Tuckahoe Point at the head of the Alligator River, just before the ICW enters the 17-mile long Alligator River-Pungo River Canal. We wouldn’t have been able to get to the other end of the canal during daylight hours and decided to anchor for the night since our schedule pressure (getting through the Alligator River Bridge before it’s maintenance closure) is over.

This image is from our chart plotter showing
our Tuckahoe Point anchorage.

Our anchorage near Tuckahoe Point in the Alligator River 
was very remote--not a house in sight nor 
was there any cellular service.

Sunset on the Alligator River in North Carolina.

Alligator River to Goose Creek

On Monday, November 5, we raised our anchor and got underway by 7 AM. The visibility was only about 1/4-mile due to fog. However, we were very close to the entrance to the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal and we didn’t need a lot of visibility to stay in the center of the canal. (It remained foggy until almost noon.)

This was our view looking into the long
Alligator River-Pungo River Canal.

Some of the leaves on the trees were just starting
to change into their fall colors.

The warning on our ICW flip charts about the
Alligator River-Pungo River Canal.

About 3/4 of the way through the canal, even though we were in the center of the channel, we hit what we think was a submerged log—it bounced along the hull from the bow to the stern and our propeller may have hit is as well but we didn’t suffer any damage that we can tell.

This partially submerged log is one that we
could easily see and avoid hitting.

We got through the canal at about 10 AM as the sun was finally making a brief appearance. We motored down the Pungo River, a distance of about 18 statute miles. In this river, the day marks are reversed (red should be kept on your left going south) from the normal ICW convention—this keeps you on your toes! The Pungo River is a substantial body of water, varying in width from almost nothing at the intersection with the canal to about 2 or 3 miles where it meets the Pamlico River. 

From the Pungo River, we made the 2-mile crossing of the Pamlico River and then entered Goose Creek. We anchored in Goose Creek at 1:30 PM, about 1/8-mile west of the ICW at MM 153 in 11 feet of water. We traveled 48 statute miles today—a relatively easy day! After anchoring, we did a couple boat tasks: I cleaned the saltwater-caused rust off our stainless steel wheel and Maggie polished the stainless steel dodger frame. We were finished with our tasks by 2:15 PM and we prepared for happy hour and, then, dinner on the grill.

There are more than a dozen houses within sight of our anchorage
but still no cellular service.  It is hard to believe that there
are still such remote areas in eastern North Carolina.

Another beautiful sunset--this one from
our Goose Creek anchorage.

s/v Tamboura anchored in Goose Creek at sundown.

Goose Creek to Beaufort NC

On Tuesday, November 7, at 6:30 AM, we pulled up the anchor (with the windlass—it’s as easy as just depressing a foot switch on deck). We were back on the ICW heading south in just a few minutes.

The sun was rising as we were motoring away 
from our Goose Creek anchorage.

As the sun was rising, a low-lying fog was starting to lift
from the marshy area next to the ICW.

We motored to the south end of Goose Creek and into a 5-mile long canal leading to the Bay River.  We then motored down the Bay River (about 7 statute miles) and into the Neuse River.  We exited the Neuse River (which is a huge body of water) at Adams Creek and continued toward Beaufort.  In Adams Creek we experienced an opposing 1-1/2-knot tidal current—this slowed us down quite a bit.  We were only doing a little over 5 knots. 

As we motored through Adams Creek, this shrimp boat
was motoring in the opposite direction.

We arrived in Beaufort at 1:45 PM.  We are currently near MM 204. We traveled 51 statute miles today. (It seems like we could travel 50 miles per day most days. Of course, we had no opening bridges today—they usually cause delays.)

s/v Rainy Days is tied up at the Beaufort Docks for
two days of rest and relaxation.

Stay tuned for more of this season's adventure as we continue down the ICW to Florida and then to the Exumas.  Our next blogpost will be published from Southport NC where we will have a two-day stopover.


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