Apart from when we were woken up by the halyard slapping against the mast really hard, we have a peaceful night and I actually sleep late probably because when I wake up my back is completely pain-free. I have no idea why it very occasionally decides to play ball but I am grateful when it does!
Even with all the blankets and two towels it’s not that warm and I resolve to do something about that tonight with more towels. It’s all we have to hand and I am nothing if not resourceful.
We set off at about 11.30 and much to my surprise, the anchor and chain come up nice and clean rather than covered with the gloopy mud and creatures I had been expecting given the state of the banks last night. We have a few hours to get to yet another 65-foot bridge and by then the tide should be low enough for us to get under.
We round a corner and suddenly before us there is a boatyard doing military stuff – navy landing craft – not quite what you expect to see in the middle of a backwater creek!
Photo: Are we back in Norfolk, Virginia?
We motor along at our usual trundling speed when going against the current and about three hours later we arrive at our next nightmare. Although the tide is lowering, we need about another hour to get to very low tide. Mike decides to anchor and wait for a while but what looks like a nice spot on the chart is a narrow, shallow (too shallow for us anyway) spot just off the river strewn with fishing pots. We continue to within half a mile of the bridge, find a likely spot and put the anchor down. Within ten minutes we are dragging as we discover that the holding is not good. Up comes the anchor and Mike gets the binoculars out to look at the tide board – it’s no good, we can’t go under as it says 65 feet – just – we daren’t risk it. We just have to hang around and wait. I make lunch – BLTs.
After my dinner and while Mike jiggles the boat around in front of the bridge, I take the binoculars and look for myself. The tide board says 67 feet. I show Mike. From where we were when he looked it seemed like the murky water level was at the 65 mark but it was just a dirt mark at that level and the water is actually lower. Relieved he heads for the bridge. The water is swirling around it with the tide (not helped by an idiot in a speedboat who went through just before us) and we go under with no problem.
Photo: The chart shows Jeannius apparently refusing to go under the bridge
Photo: Then we jiggle around and go through sideways
Photo: Actually we go forwards
Photo: Another bridge bites the dust
Photo: Then under the overhead power lines
Photo: And on we go
The countryside isn’t very interesting – lots of open marshland and pockets of trees. Every now and then we come across houses with long, long jetties – they have to walk a couple of hundred yards across the marshes here to get to deep enough water to put their boats down around here.
Photos: The river scenery
For the first time we are really struggling with the charts, well, correction, I am. I sit in front of them most of the time at the moment calling out the headings for Mike to take, keeping us in the channel as far as the charts are concerned. Mike sits outside in the cold (wearing snowboarding trousers, three tops, hat and gloves) steadfastly ignoring my commands as he is following the channel markers which have probably been moved to reflect the dredging efforts and the shoaling. It is so frustrating but he needs my input just in case the bloody boards aren’t there at all – and sometimes they aren’t! I have decided that open ocean sailing is much easier!
We had been going to go off the ICW a couple of miles to find a place to anchor for the night but I read Skipper Bob’s anchorage book and discover that the current is quite strong there. Given that this morning we were going around in circles like water down a plug hole – with little current – Mike decides that’s no good and spots a large motor cruiser anchored for the night in a wide part of the river just a mile or so ahead. He heads straight for it. In the shelter of the trees the wind drops and we are able to anchor easily and it digs in straight away.
The boat is cold as the doors have been open all day. We shut everything up, put the generator on and get some heat going. I add a further four towels on top of the bed – we may not be able to move but at least we will be warm!
I make a lovely dinner of garlic and chilli scallops served with pasta which goes down a treat and we both take very hot showers – a bonus with all the motoring as the port engine heats the water. We set the anchor alarm and head off to bed. Tomorrow we are only heading to Beaufort. The ICW will take us outside after that and the weather is not quite right for it at the moment. We will wait it out in another marina – we must be getting soft!
Position: 32 deg 29 min N, 80 deg 35 min W
Distance so far: 3328 miles
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