First leg completed....

Sailing the Chesapeake. 

Forty-eight hours have passed since we tossed the lines off in Baltimore. We’ve now tied up at the complimentary docks in downtown Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 

For much of the two days, we had scattered rain showers, colder-than-normal temperatures, and a good wind.  We made good time sailing a broad to beam reach down much of the Chesapeake, sometimes flirting with seven knots. 

I’ve always loved sailing on the Chesapeake.  You can have strong winds that provide a great sailing speed while have very little of the accompanying sea that taints most winds on the open ocean.  This proved true for our sail Saturday, Saturday night, and Sunday morning.  We had a nice wind for much of that time coming from our port side that allowed us to sail on a broad or beam reach.  We were able to sail for most of that time at over five knots while the seas were still comfortable to have a nap.  The only down side to the weather was the fact that the best wind was accompanied by rain.  It wasn’t a hard rain but it was a nuisance.

Cargo ship on the Chesapeake.

We didn’t have too many encounters will large cargo traffic in the Chesapeake, which is always nice.  We did pass a large cruise ship making its way to Baltimore Harbor and a few cargo ships that were nowhere near our location except for one cargo ship that we met as the channel narrowed just south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge connecting Annapolis and the Eastern Shore.

For me, I reached a personal milestone on this sail of having sailed much, if not all, of the Chesapeake Bay from Harve De Grace, Maryland (a few years ago I helped move Joe and Karen’s Oday sailboat from Harve De Grace to Baltimore), to Norfolk, Virginia. 

At the south end of the Chesapeake, it became choppy and rough most likely because of its exposure to the open Atlantic.  That only last a few hours as we turned into Norfolk and became more protected by the land.

At Mile Marker 0 on the ICW.

After passing through the military and cargo ships in Norfolk, we entered the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and motored down the Deep Creek and Dismal Swamp canals most of Sunday to reach Elizabeth City before sunset.

The canal is narrow and shallow.  At times it is only about 15 foot wide because of imposing vegetation.  Also, you have to keep a close eye on the mast to avoid collision with overhanging trees.  The route also is shallow, and since Oblivion drafts about 5’ 3”, we had to navigate the middle of the canal for much of the journey.  We did slightly run aground right after entering the Atlantic ICW but a full throttle and sharp turn was all that was needed us to free us from the soft, silty bottom and return us to the middle of the canal.

U-turn allows Jeremy to pet him.

We had an interesting experience of note at the Deep Creek Lock at the start of the Atlantic ICW.  The lock master, Gary, is somewhat legendary with boaters in this part of the world.  He’s worked the locks for 21 years has an incredible knowledge of its history, will entertain by blowing conch shells, and provides keen, decisive command of lock procedures for novice captains.  He also has a pitbull mix named U-turn that supervises the process and allows boat crews to pet him while their boats are raised and lowered in the lock.

As Gary told us, much of the upper part of the Atlantic ICW was mapped by a young surveyor named George Washington, who ultimately became the first US President, before the canal was dug by hand.  Sometimes I have to admire the foresight of a people who were able to see the value in digging a canal to protect boaters from the whims of the open ocean despite the incredible labor required of the day to make it a reality.

Karen on the bow in the ICW.

Arriving into Elizabeth City at the Mariners Wharf Marina located downtown, the people nearby were generally excited and welcoming as we pulled into a complimentary dockage slip.  After our arrival, we cleaned up the boat and walked quite a distance to a Golden Coral at the behest of the boys to gorge ourselves at their buffet.

It was a great evening for a walk, and I enjoyed a Dunkin Doughnuts coffee on the return walk to Oblivion.  It also was perfect sleeping weather to have all the hatches open and let the breeze lull you to sleep.