Whittaker Creek Yacht Harbor

Oriental, NC

Lawn Sculpture and Cruising Realities……………..

This is probably not the best time to write in the log as we are berthed in a hell hole of a marina, high heat, no wind, raining just enough that the boat must be closed up, and with a broken AC. Not exactly the vision we see when dreaming of cruising, but a reality of how it really is. But more of that later……

We have been “inside” on the ICW since Southport, NC and have come to several conclusions about the ditch- with some exceptions, NC kind of looks like SC, which kind of looks like GA, which kind of looks like FL. In other words, after a few days it becomes pretty boring……..and tedious. We draw 6ft which is really a little too deep for comfort on the ditch. Our days consist of matching paper charts with the electronic charts on the plotter, missing the scenery because your eyes are glued to the depth sounder or behind binoculars looking for marks and darting starboard and port muttering “Where is the f_____g water!?!?!?” The tedium is broken up by trying to get off when you have run aground or waiting at anchor while a tug and barge aground diagonally across the whole channel tries to get off (really!)

We are really tired of the ICW and have made some changes to our plans so that we can get up to the Chesapeake sooner. But it is certainly not all bad and we have actually found out some interesting things about the people and houses that we pass by every day. The most interesting is what is up with the folks in North Carolina and lawn sculpture???? So far we have seen tens of lighthouses, of various sizes, colors and patterns; several lawns with giraffes at least 20ft high; one lawn with an all metal, maybe 12ft statue of Neptune; a tiki bar, palm tree and parking meter composition (underwater); and a perfectly good house completely ruined with bas relief fish, anchors, palm trees and dolphins in large scale on the sides of the house (and, oh yes, a lighthouse in the yard). What exactly is it that drives the good folk of NC to so express themselves? Some of it could be written off as mere kitsch, but the house went WAY beyond kitsch and what about the giraffes? If anyone knows about North Carolinians and giraffes, please email us and set us straight!

We spent an enjoyable and quiet two nights in Swansboro , NC where we relaxed and finished treating the teak, now the boat actually looks like new. Then our plan was to move on to Beaufort (long o) and pick up mail expected from three sources. This is where some of the realities of cruising set in.

Our plan was to anchor off the town docks at Beaufort for one day to see the town and pick up our mail. First, the “anchorage” is now a private mooring field and the only places left for anchoring would have had us blocking the channel swinging one way, and on the beach the other, even with two anchors out. So we opted for the town dock (about $100 a night). The marina was actually quite nice, right next to a restaurant with live entertainment. This would have been great if the guy could sing, but he made the bad acts on “Idol” actually look good. Then one of the pieces of mail did not show up on time and the other was not shipped at all so it was another night in the marina (another $100 and the lousy singer was still there).

So we had the mail forwarded to Oriental where we were assured that one of the marinas would receive our package and give us a discount on slip fee (only $70) so it was on to Oriental to wait for the rest of the mail. On arrival we found the 20 ft wide slip promised was actually about 15 ( we are 14ft beam) and the docks are not floating so we feel like a race horse in the starting gate. The trip in through the “newly dredged, you won’t have any trouble” channel saw us aground twice with never more than 1ft below the keel; we are exposed to a fetch as long as Pamlico Sound so it is like a bucking bronco when the wind blows; there is no Sprint cell service (ours, of course) and the facilities are best described as mid 1950’s KOA. Well, at least if we are stuck in a marina we get a night of air conditioning, cable TV, and wifi internet so it won’t be too bad. Well, no TV, very weak wifi, and our AC went on the fritz. And the wind stopped, and it rained. So instead we are spending the night in a closed up sauna bath. And the mail pickup will cost us an unexpected $340 in marina fees…………..ahhhhh, the joys of cruising!!

But one of the great things about cruising is that while you sit sweltering in the sauna, there are always the things that are broken and need to be fixed/replaced that take your mind off your current discomfort. For example, I am still chasing a wiring problem with the wind generator (no output), the autopilot control head (new) went out yesterday (fortunately kept the old one and changed them out in about 10 mins and was back in gear), the ST60 wind instrument lost it’s memory (Raymarine said rerun the dealer calibration, we did, it worked, then lost it’s mind after 20 minutes); the AC is down for the count (likely a circuit board), and the watermaker pump had to be replaced (Spectra is $900 proud of that pump).

All of these things are, of course, just part of the cruising experience. They happen to everybody, even if you think it is only you, and even though you know this, it puts strain on everybody on the boat. And since there are only two of us, it puts strain on our relationship. But the good side of it is that it forces you to recognize the strain and either let it defeat you or build a better relationship in order to deal with it. Fortunately, we have chosen the latter and find ourselves being more open and honest with each other, sharing responsibilities more equably, and just generally working together better as a couple and as a team. Which is great, but I don’t think it will lower the temperature or humidity tonight!

We plan to get out of this marina as soon as the mail arrives and take off to a location where we can anchor. As nice as a marina sounds, we have come to hate them. There is the stress of docking in an unknown marina, usually with a raging current (standard on the ICW) and a countering wind; you have to drag out all the fenders and dock lines, then power cords, TV cable, etc. Then in order to leave, it is power cords repacked, cable repacked, stressful departure in current and wind, repack fenders and dock lines. When you anchor it is drop anchor, open hatches for wind, have drink. And leaving is close hatches, weigh anchor, and leave. We try to minimize our marina stops to when we need fuel, pump out, food and a trip to the laundry. The only thing we miss on anchor is wifi but we can get it in some anchorages and we plan to add a high gain antenna so that we can get it at most anchorages near marinas or residential areas.

We were going to take a side trip across Pamlico Sound and then up to Kitty Hawk, but locals are saying we are crazy to do it with a 6ft draft, and we really want to get up to Norfolk, so we are skipping the side trip and pushing on up the ditch, going out when we can. We will try to get an update out soon.

Best wishes and fair winds,

Lew and Lyn

S/V “SeaWings”