Started: Portsmouth North Landing 36°50.30′N 076°17.77′W

Docked: ICW Mile 12 Atlantic Yacht Basin 36°43.20′N 076°14.03′W

Log: 12.0 nm. Time 3 hr. Engine Hours 3.

We don't want to overplan our travels this winter.

And — considering the repairs we're doing — there's no real point in making any kind of concrete plans.

So far, the journey looks like this. Two stops down, eleven to go.

1. ✓ Hampton to Portsmouth (ICW mile 2). About 12nm of travel. 3 hours almost exactly.

2. ✓ Portsmouth to Great Bridge (ICW mile 12). Only 10 statute miles on the chart. With twists and turns we logged 14 miles (12 nm.) We're in Atlantic Yacht Basin to see what we can do about our shaft drip. Tides Marine has several useful documents. There no way to know how long this will take. The repair manager thinks it might be a day.

3. Great Bridge to Coinjock (ICW mile 50.) 38 statute miles will probably take 6 to 7 hours chugging down the canal. Everyone says we need to stop at Coinjock to eat at one of the two restaurants across the river from each other: Crabbies at Midway Marina vs. the Coinjock Marina Restaurant.

4. Coinjock to Broad Creek in North River (ICW mile 60 or so). This is just a 10 mile jaunt down the river and into a creek with a recommended scenic anchorage. It's near 36°12′N 075°58′W.

5. Broad Creek to Manteo. This is about 30 nm down the North River into the Albemarle Sound, then to the Roanoke Sound and into "Shallowbag Bay" near Manteo. There's an anchorage between R 10 and the shore. If the wind is fair we may be able sail the last 20 miles of this. Weather matters because the Albemarle can build up a nasty chop.

6. Manteo to Long Shoal River. This means chugging 13 nm down Roanoke Sound to Oregon Inlet Channel and Old House Channel to to Pamlico Sound. Then course 220° for 10.5 nm to Long Shoal River. If the wind is fair, we can sail the last 10 miles of this.

7. Long Shoal River to Okracoke. 207° for 25 nm. Then 4 nm into Lake Silver. Ideally, we'll wait in the Long Shoal River for a good sailing day to cross the Pamlico Sound.

8. Okracoke to South River. Sail 272° for 22 nm to the Neuse River, then turn to 232° for 10 nm down the Neuse to the South River. The South River is gorgeous. There are several creeks in there we are going to poke into.

9. South River to Oriental. This is about 7 nm across the Neuse River. There's the potential for a free dock, so we have to leave early-ish.

10. Oriental to Beaufort or Moorehead City. About 4 nm from Oriental, we pick up the ICW at Adams Creek (ICW Mile 185).

11. Beaufort and Moorehead City are around ICW Mile 205.

12. Moorehead City to Milehammock Bay ICW Mile 245.

13. Milehammock Bay to Wrightsville Beach ICW Mile 285.

That's about three weeks or maybe a month of travel. Maybe we'll have Thanksgiving in Wrightsville.

We like Wrightsville as a place to take a mental break because it's got lots of facilities and a quiet, secure anchorage that's roomy and readily accessible. From there, we can get groceries and plan the next legs.

The ICW from Wrightsville to Charleston is very, very pretty. Last time we did this, we sailed from Cape Fear to Charleston as an overnight. It's 112 nm, a plump 20 hours. It worked out pretty well.

From there, we think we'll try a bunch of day sails from Charleston through the rest of SC and GA to St. Mary's. It's 128 nm to St. Mary's, it was also a pretty good overnighter. But. We think we'd like to see Beaufort and Port Royal and St. Simon.

Maybe we'll make St. Augustine by Christmas.

Travel