WEEK 5 LOG - Beaufort, NC to CHESAPEAKE, VA

We are now very near mile zero of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Norfolk, Virginia (actually we are at a boatyard in Chesapeake, Virginia, but more on that in a minute). After leaving Beaufort, we made steady progress each day, with stops at Oriental, NC (free dock), Belhaven, NC (free dock), Alligator River (marina), Elizabeth City (free dock), the Dismal Canal welcome center (free dock) and finally Chesapeake (boatyard).

We are still getting a lot of windy days, and we had a couple of spanking runs up the Alligator River and across Albemarle Sound. But to make up for that, we had two days slowly working up the Dismal Canal from Elizabeth City, just as calm and peaceful as anyone could wish for. We said goodbye to our friend Martin at Chesapeake, who has been excellent crew as well as great company these last 10 days or so.

There was a bit of chatter from other loopers about problems with snags, submerged logs and the dreaded dredge pipe on the coveted Dismal Swamp route. But with our shallow draft and protected running gear we decided to forge ahead. We were with a few other loopers and we all went slow and kept a sharp eye and had no problems. A highlight of our trip so far!

Approaching the South Mills lock

Hiking in the Dismal Swamp State Park

Rafted up at the Visitor's Center free dock

First light view from our stern 

We noticed the drive shaft seal on the port engine has started to leak, particularly when the boat is driven hard in choppy seas. Nothing really dangerous (yet), but we want to get it taken care of soonest, and it requires hauling the boat out of the water. We made arrangements to get the boat hauled at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, where the seal will get replaced, hopefully in time for us to make the looper rendezvous on Monday. We also fueled up again, taking on 155 gallons of diesel for just $2.59 a gallon.

We had one other little adventure this week. Backing out of our free slip in Elizabeth City, we somehow picked up some rope on our starboard shaft, which quickly wrapped tight and stopped the engine. We limped back into our slip on the other engine, got tied up, and I dug out my snorkel gear to take a look. The water was pretty cold and absolutely pitch black, but I could feel the big ball of line wrapped around the shaft and prop. It was slow going cutting it all off, and I couldn’t have done it at all except for our boat neighbor, who offered the use of his hookah rig and regulator. I was pretty cold by the time I was finished, but Jayne had hot coffee and fresh pastries from the bakery waiting. She didn’t tell me about the water moccasin that swam by the back of the boat while I was down until later.

Cleaning a snagged prop in Elizabeth City, NC

The offending snag

I kept a close eye on this water moccasin while Jonathan was in the water

 

Where we are now is only about 10 miles from the looper rendezvous, so if we can’t get the shaft seal done today, we will just come back after the rendezvous and take care of it then. After that, it’s off to  the Chesapeake Bay!