Snode Creek to Dowry Creek anchorage

The morning was cold, at 12°C.  I did not want to get out of bed.  Eventually, I got out, made Bacon and Eggs and departed at noon.   

I could only go 20 miles before the Pungo Alligator Canal.  The canal is 23 nm, and there are no anchorages, so once committed, there was no real turnback.

The winds were 15-20 knots.  The whole day was 13C.   

At 3 PM, I decided to pull into Dowry Creek, as it was well protected from the North and West.  And the nearby marina had wi-fi.  The wi-fi was very slow, but it worked on the laptop.

At 18h, I dingied to the marina and met a cruiser who invited me to their group supper.  Nice people.  

Lovely full Pink Moon.

Oriental to Snode Creek

Friday morning was stormy.  We were supposed to be out of the free dock by 8AM due to the Oriental Boat Show.

At 9:45, I left the dock to let the boat ahead of me out.  I came back in to wait for the rain and did some final shopping at the flea market.

The sky cleared at about 11:30.  Radar showed no more cells.  Nobody bothered me about overstaying at the free dock.

Looked like a nice beam reach of 14 miles on the Neuse River.  The weather was warm, and I was not in any rush.  Nice sail of 4 to 6 knots - no engine.  After 14 miles, the wind shifted to the nose and increased in intensity.  It was rock and roll.  The dinghy was bouncing a lot, causing the inflatable floor to dislodge.  I slowed down Bellum, dropped the dinghy, and kicked the floor back down.  A little risky maneuver!

At Ball Island, I encountered a dual barge being pushed by the Tug Island Explore as it came down the river, taking most of the water.  I had to go to the side to let her through.

At 6PM, I decided to anchor at Snode Creek.  Other than a few big houses, the local area was pretty isolated.  A little rolly. 

Tired, had a Bushmill and made a pork tenderloin.  I turned off the BBQ and the electronic valve.  The next morning, the 20 Lb tank was empty.  It has served me since Miami. 

Swansboro to Oriental

I got up early (again) and found Bellum had been spinning round the anchor.  When I pulled up the anchor, the chain spun a lot.  

The morning was cold again.  About 11C.

I had called Dudley's Marina about how to dock for fuel, and they told me there was not enough water.  

I departed slowly while trying to update my Wi-Fi applications on my way back to the channel.  Sped down the Bogue Sound in a strong face-on wind towards Spooners Creek at MM 200 to get fuel.  I estimated my arrival before noon and arrived at 11:30.  The entrance was unnervingly shallow with a blind turn.  Once inside the Bogue Sound, it was a well-protected gated community with numerous boats, and to my surprise, there was an anchorage.  I docked by myself and called Tim, and he came out to fuel the tank and Jerry's can.  19.3 Gallons.  My most significant fill-up.  Tim told me I could use the anchorage, and if I tied my dinghy "outside" the ramp, there would be no problems.  There was also a Walmart Supercenter one mile away.  I was tempted, but it was too early for me to close the day.  And I had too much food aboard. 

After some lingering, I departed the dock without help.  Once outside, the winds were strong and in my face.  I passed a sailboat and the Beaufort Channel railroad and traffic bridge, and the winds calmed in Adams Creek.

At about 2 PM, my right eye became very foggy.  I tried some eye drops, but they didn't help.  I notified Norm and Jason on the chat.  I contacted my insurance broker and obtained the necessary information to get approval from Alliance Insurance for hospital visits.  

I was getting tired.  It was becoming a long day.  I sped to Orient in hopes of getting a free dock.

It was a fast and bumpy ride across the Neuse River. 

Made it into Orient and found a free dock.  I adjusted my fenders, and someone helped me tie up.  

Had a great shower, updated my blog, and made use of leftover sausages since I didn't want to BBQ at the free dock.

A boat show was scheduled for the upcoming weekend, and I had to vacate the free dock by Friday.

On Thursday, I walked the town and visited the flea markets and the marine electronics store to pick up Chris' Seatalk adapter. Then I did a Piggly Wiggly run, and then I got a lot of junk at the flea market.

I had to undock and re-dock several times at the free dock during my stay.

Wrightsville Beach to Swansboro

I departed Wrightsville Beach and headed south to Hammock Bay or further.  The weather was cold, and I had several layers.

Figure 8 Bridge was no problem since there were no severe winds.

It was a nice change of scenery towards Hammock Bay.  I arrived around 3 PM and decided I had the energy and time to travel to Swansboro Bay, another 18 miles away.  

However, a new Onslow bridge was under construction, and they had left the new bridge halfway down, so no sailboat could cross at 4 PM.  At 4:10, they lifted the bridge, but it was too late for me.  I dropped the anchor to rest and tidy up a little bit.  I then realized I had dropped the anchor between two no-anchor zones that had lines on the seabed.  I was between the two.  At 4:40, I was told the bridge would open at 5 and two other sailboats appeared.  I hauled anchor and waited for the opening.  

Now, I had 10 miles to do against the current to get to Swansboro.  I was concerned because the anchorage in front of Casper Marina and Church Marina had strong currents and poor holding, according to the reviews.  

I passed one of the boats at Onslow Bridge, which was anchoring and decided to anchor below her near the bridge.  The anchor did not hold as quickly as usual, but it did test well, eventually.  All before sunset.  Later, I noticed the other boat re-anchored closer to Casper ... further from me.

It was a cold night, and I put on the companionway door.  

Got up a couple of times to find that we had swung 180 degrees.  There was not a lot of wind, so I wasn't too concerned.