Portsmouth VA to Beaufort, NC

We left the anchorage at Hospital Point, got fuel and water and started down the waterway on Oct. 24th. The first bridge was held up by a long coal train which put us behind in our plans to get to Coinjock. We went through Great Bridge and the Locks and tied up there for the night instead. We met friends Helen and John on Aqua Mirus there and had a nice reunion. Broad Creek was the next stop with discussions of where to hide out from Sandy the topic of the day. There were three of us there and Aqua Mirus and Emme decided to Head for Dowry Creek Marina a place with good protection from the North and West where the highest winds were forecast to come from. We pulled in and tied up, using extra lines and battening down the hatches.

Emme Snug at Dowry Creek

There were a number of cruisers who had the same idea, I think there were about 18 boats that had come in for the storm. The storm followed the predicted track by us, tying well to the east so we had an easy time of it with only about a 1.5 foot storm surge and winds  about 40-45 MPH. There were a couple of very knowledgeable  folks there who held seminars about travelling south, boat maintenance, birding from you boat, and other topics. There was a yoga class every day and a cocktail hour or pot luck in the evening. We were there from the 26th until the 31st so it was almost a sad time leaving our new found friends. It was good to get underway again with so many fond memories of waiting out Sandy together. The cruising community is just that; a group of people who, as nomadic as they may seem, have common interests and aspirations and a deep concern for the well being of fellow mariners.

Our next stop was Hardy Creek an anchorage across the Neuse River from Oriental, It provided us with a calm anchorage after a day of great sailing although the temperature barely reached 60 degrees. Today we went from there to Beaufort where we have anchored in Town Creek. We will dingy ashore this evening for a good dinner then head out tomorrow for a couple of days on an offshore passage to Charleston, SC.