Annapolis to Marsh Harbor Navigation Update

We left Saturday 10/20/12 at 5pm and we're in the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal today. We've been making very good progress. We did an overnight sail down the Chesapeake, arriving at Great Bridge VA at 4pm Sunday (23 hours for the passage). We were off my ETA by +1 hour - not bad for that long a run. We were able to sail part of the trip, but because the wind was directly astern, we weren't able to set the Genoa because it doesn't fly well when blanketed by the main. The auto pilot didn't like the waves and unbalanced rig, so we had to hand steer. We slept well Sunday night! We averaged almost 7kn down the bay. We saw up to 11kn while surfing down some of the waves!

Our next leg took us to the Alligator River Marina, where we stayed last night. Today, we made it past Belhaven, NC and tomorrow will be Oriental, NC. We are able to make 7kn in the flat water that we had today. We'll get to Orientail in time to visit the used boat store. I've been there numerous times, but always when they are closed. I'm not taking bets on whether they will be open.

It was sunny, about 78 degrees F, with a light southerly wind today and a forecast to be a bit warmer tomorrow. This is fabulous weather.

The reverse cycle A/C units have done great at keeping the boat comfortable at night. We were going to try out the Honda EU2000i generator that we bought for the trip, but it is warm enough that we're not going to run it. Besides, we'd have to go outside where the mosquitoes are waiting to pounce on us. We're planning on a fixed genset for next year. The Victron 3KW inverter/charger has been doing a great job too, allowing us to run a microwave and charge all our mobile devices whenever we wish.

So far, both engines have been running smoothly (knock on wood), even in the waves while running down the Bay. Perhaps our tank cleaning has solved our fuel supply problem to the port engine. I'll feel better after it performs smoothly in the Gulf Stream crossing.

I'm getting a lot of boat projects completed while under way in the smooth waters of the ICW. Mike and Carol have been driving and navigating while Gee and Peggy have taken care of meals. So I've been able to work on my long list of things to do.

We were able to use our new Rocna 25Kg anchor tonight. It set quickly and held solidly when we backed down to set it. We've never had that experience with the original anchor (a plow design that regularly would not set). It fits LUX like it was custom made. We'll see how easily it comes up tomorrow. The cruising guide suggested using a trip line, which we rigged. The float is a water toy that we happen to have on board.

We are anchored in Eastham Creek at 35* 17.8'N 076* 36.2'W. We started at 39* 00'N 076* 26'W. So we're ten nautical miles west of where we started and 222 nm south. We will be about 800 nm south of Annapolis when we head across the Gulf Stream to the Abacos.

  -Terry