We are further south .... couldn't tell by the weather though! - Le sud? mais on gèle!!

Thursday Nov 15th
Today is the day that the insurance company lets us proceed further south than 35 degrees (Beaufort NC) as it is officially the end of hurricane season. Apparently next year they the companies are going to make it November 30th. That will be a real pain as everyone wanders around getting cold in the Chesapeake  before getting to the Bahamas Dash start line!

Today was our first opportunity to head offshore but after checking all resources and Chris Parker the weather forecaster I subscribe to, we decide that it is just to rough and outside our comfort zone to head into the ocean. Even though the winds are from the north at 25 knots gusting over 30, Chris reports that the information from the sea buoys shows wave heights of 10 + feet with a period of 6 seconds - dealing with a 10 foot wave every 6 seconds doesn't interest me, especially if we are going to be in it for 36 hours straight. Chris did not have much confidence in his forecast either - in other words, it could be worse.  So decision done ... the high north winds will continue for at least 4 days. In that time we can motor all the way to Charleston SC rather than sit in Beaufort waiting for a better weather window. Off we go motoring some more! 

This guy has finished motoring ... for a bit!

Roxanne's future home - love the lime green!

As we pass inlets to the ocean and through tide changes our speed over the bottom changes from a blistering fast 9.1 knots per hour to a snails pace of 4.5 - all this with no change in the throttle of the engine.
Our primary guide book, Skipper Bob indicates that between mile 238 and 250 the ICW passes inside the grounds of US Navy Camp Lajeune. As we approached mile 238 there is a Navy Security boat blocking the waterway and calls us on the radio to advise that they are doing "live fire" shooting and bombing practice today - the ICW will be closed until further notice! I opted to anchor the boat rather than dodge incoming Navy artillery fire - call me chicken! Luckily they finished playing with their guns and stuff within less than an hour and let us proceed - cautiously I might add as we had dozens of attack helicopters buzz buy at 100 feet over our heads - just a little disconcerting indeed.

The Navy's finest...

By the time we sheepishly get through most the Naval Base, our planned destination is out of reach before darkness. We find a small Naval Bay called Mile Hammock Bay (N34.33.00 W077.19.50 ) - a number of boats are already anchored there so we make a sharp turn to starboard and pull in also. While anchoring the rain starts to pour down - Maryse is very wet buy the time we are secured for the night. Sagwa pulled in behind us and they also hunkered down for the night as darkness descended.  The guide book states that the military can kick us out at any time - we are hoping that they don't do that tonight! We finished the day having knocked off 63 miles - a super run considering the hold-us along the way.

Jeudi 15 novembre

Après avoir écouté la météo avec Chris Parker, nous avons quitté la petite marina d’Oriental. Le temps était gris mais heureusement c’était moins froid. Étant donné que la météo n’était pas bonne pour les prochains jours, nous avons opté pour le ICW.

La route fut par moment sinueuse et garnie de haut-fonds, il faillait être très vigilant. Merrill était à la barre alors que je suivais chaque information dans Skipper Bob Publications et sur les cartes maritimes afin de l’informer le plus possible. Nous avons alterné à la barre, c’est pas toujours évident, il faut tout surveiller en même temps.

Nous avons eu la chance de naviguer encore une fois avec les dauphins.

Notre route a été interrompue à la bouée R58 par les militaires, nous étions alors en pleine zone de pratique militaire, nous avons ancré attendant l’autorisation de pouvoir quitter. Nous pouvions entendre les explosions, cela faisait bien étrange. Mes pensées allaient alors rejoindre mon fiston présentement en mission en Afghanistan. Après 40 minutes nous recevions l’autorisation de quitter, il était alors aux environs de 16h00 sous peu la noirceur prendrait la place. Merrill a eu la bonne idée d’aller dans une petite baie portant le nom de Hammock Bay (N34.33.00 W077.19.50) , une baie que les militaires utilisent pour leurs manœuvres. Il y avait déjà plusieurs bateaux d’ancrés et heureusement assez de place pour Ambition et Sagwa.

Friday Nov 16th
The military brass were kind and let us use their bay undisturbed all night - thank you! Anchors up at 7AM and we are off motor sailing i the narrow canals and inlets. Again as we go through a couple of inlets the current hits us broadside so hard that we have to steer into the current and the boat moves sideways like a crab to get past.

Sand Dunes at the inlet

We end up in a group of 10 boats all travelling about the same speed. We spread out as we motor along but then end up all bunched together again in front of the bridges awaiting the opening schedules. Sometimes it is once per hour on the hour and sometimes every 30 minutes. Either way we end up waiting. At the Wrightsville bridge we are all about 15 or 20 minutes early for the opening and it is fun to watch the boats all try to hold their position in a 3 knot current pushing you into the bridge. Some captains deal with the situation better than others - one struggled terribly with the concept and ending up sideways, plowing through the middle of everyone! No damage done but when the bridge opens it is like a herd of turtles scurrying off.

Waiting for the bridge opening ahead ...... 

Approaching the bridge from behind Ambition

Chillin' pelicans

Winter storage - 5 rows high!!!

We continued on and choose Carolina Beach as our anchorage for the night.  (N073.53.50 W34.03.00

Vendredi 16 novembre

Nous avons quitté comme prévue à 7h00 le matin. 12 bateaux à queue leu-leu. Le soleil s’est pointé le bout du nez aujourd’hui. La température s’est adoucie. Une navigation avec la visite de dauphins, quelle joie de les voir nager près du bateau. Au fait j'ai réussi a prendre une photo de dauphin, j'avoue qu'elle n'est pas si bonne que ça mais c'est ma plus belle.

Finalement une photo des dauphins!!

Vive les cellulaires et les forfaits américain, j'ai pu faire un petit appel à mon père et à sœur, cela m’a fait grand plaisir.

La température était clémente, le génois était ouvert, le soleil brillait, mon capitaine me souriais, j'étais à la barre, quelle joie, il faisait si bon. 

Ce fut une courte journée aujourd’hui, nous avons ancré tôt soit à 15h00. Merrill a en profité pour réparer la wasdown pump. Nous avons ancré à Carolina Beach, une petite baie entrourrée de condos.

(N073.53.50 W34.03.00)

Saturday Nov 17th
It is like going to work ... anchor up at 6:30AM and we are immediately in a cut - the speed over ground is over 9 knots - we pass a red buoy on our port (left) side - fortunately there is plenty of water as we fly by but as we approach the next green buoy within a few hundred feet I realize that something is wrong and it appears on the wrong side, I put the boat into reverse trying to slow it down in the fast moving current -  my brain is still foggy and I realize that I made a mistake at the red buoy and I am now OK for the green - the sailing gods are on my side this morning! The cut delivers us into the Cape Fear River and the north wind is still at 15 to 20 knots from the north - the waves build up quickly even on the river. Just before reaching the ocean inlet we make a starboard (right) turn into the ICW again and the wind and waves calm right down again. Today we passed by some very spectacular residential neighbourhoods - the homes are sooooo large.

A little family get away home ......

In one section about 20 miles long each home had a pier out into the ICW - sometimes the piers were more than 500 meters long. Each one of the piers is built on pilings sometimes a hundred or more pilings per pier - thousands of trees were used to make the pilings - incredible!
Another milestone today - we crossed the border between North and South Carolina. Soon after that we entered an area of the ICW called the Rockpile. It is unusual in that instead of sand and grasses that we have seen for days and days, this section is very very narrow and strewn with rocks. It is so narrow that two boats cannot pass without risking one hitting bottom. As you are about to enter this section southbound, you radio ahead warning anyone heading northbound to call back and decide who will wait for who. Fortunately everyone is heading southward today! Not this one though...

The name of this boat is 'Wave Dancer" .... not anymore!

Anchorages in this area of the ICW are none existent so we reserve a slip at the Barefoot Marina (still too chilly to be barefoot but it is a nice spot) (N33.48.100 W078.44.826) Saturday night and it is date night - out for dinner!

Samedi 17 novembre
Un départ à 6h30, le courant était rapide du 9 noeuds, nous nous sommes trompés en passant la bouée rouge sur le côté bâbord  au lieu du côté tribord, c'est parfois bien mêlant. Nous avons eu plusieurs haut-fonds sur notre route, il faut vraiment être vigilant et porter une attention particulière aux haut-fonds. 

Nous étions à Barefoot Marina pour la nuit (N33.48.100 W078.44.826), nous sommes arrivés en fin d'après-midi, j'en ai profité pour faire un brin de lavage. Il est à noter qu'il s'agit d'une belle marina, cepandant les boutiques et magasins se trouvent de l'autre côté du canal. Sur place il y a un resto semblable à la Cage aux sports et les autres commodités tel que douches, toilettes et un foyer extérieur. 
Nous avons terminé la journée en soupant au  restaurant de la marina en compagnie de Line et Michel du bateau Sagwa. Le resto format le dimanche 18 novembre pour réouvrir en janvier 2013.