25 March 2020
We got underway in calm conditions from Beaufort at 0840 and
went around Radio Island to enter the main ship channel where we turned about
270 degrees to starboard to head back in toward Morehead City where we picked
up the 80.5-mile route I had previously laid down as just a reference never thinking
we’d complete it in one day, but circumstances forced us into an after sunset
(barely) arrival at the Wrightsville Bridge Tender Marina, which, as the name
implies is hard by the south side of the Wrightsville Beach bascule bridge. After passing Morehead City to starboard, we
entered Bogue Sound which is very shallow except for the AICW (Atlantic
Intracoastal Waterway for those who already forgot), and there are some scary
shallow places in it too. It required
intense concentration at our sedate speed of 7-8 MPH to steer this beast within
the narrow channel which has few physical channel markers meaning the I was “on
instruments” looking at both the installed chart plotter zoomed way in and my
laptop with its charting software. The
trick is to keep the three-minute long heading cursor emanating from the moving
boat symbol aligned with and on the axis of the channel ahead – a video game
with real world consequences, if you will.
I describe this process because it happened every day of our travels for
shorter or longer periods of time as the AICW runs through shallow sounds and
rivers and bays, and today really had its share. It is always a relief to enter a n area with
adequate depth wider than a mere hundred feet.
Coming out of Bogue Sound, we entered the Swansboro area where a
thoroughly daunting experience hit us as we crossed the swiftly flowing and
narrow channel of the White Oak River.
The buoys were nothing if not confusing as both AICW and regular channel
buoys of both sides of their respective channels were placed in close
proximity. One turn involve using full
power and the bow thruster and full rudder to get turned through a sharp turn
in the AICW then another sharp turn into the river’s current and finally, a
last sharp turn out of the current back into the AICW depending on the proper
placement of the buoys while seeing less than a foot of water showing on both
depth sounder display. Had we run
aground there, I cannot say how we would ever get off in that swiftly flowing
mess. Then it was on thought the US
Marine Corps Camp Lejeune and the signs warning of the possible stoppage of the
AICW due to live fire exercises and others along the shore warning of
unexploded if one were foolish enough to venture ashore. After lunch, we began looking ahead for a
place to anchor or moor, but little was available except one boatyard/marina
which I called. We would be arriving
around 1730 giving us plenty of daylight to get in and settled. The lady who answered said that a vessel of
our size could use the north side of their well and that we should hug the
“green side” entering their channel off the AICW. When we finally got there, it was evident
that the “well” was simply the concrete slot in the shoreline where their
travel lift straddles to lift boats out and that their channel was too shallow
and iffy for this big boat. Casting
around for options, we could see nothing nearby because we are too deep to just
exit the AICW and anchor in most places.
Eventually, I called to the Bridge Tender Marina and discussed the
matter with them. Problem was they were
closing at 1900, and we could not get there until 1930, AND there were two
bridges which were 20 and 14 feet high when closed, and they operate on a i/2
hour schedule until 1900. We solved the
first possible delay by lowering the mast giving us a 17.5-foot “air draft.” The second bridge is right here before the
marina, and since it was 1930 (the staff had agreed to wait for us), the bridge
tender opened on demand. We slipped
through and thankfully moored as darkness became complete. Whew!
What a day!
