Anchor up at 7:30 so we can make the run up the Neuse River with the calm, east winds of the morning. 7:35 we are aground at the mouth of the channel because we misread the maze of channel markers. At least this was a shared responsibility because I was at the helm and Dan directed me to follow the channel markers in the center of the channel; but I knew I was going the wrong direction and should have scoped out the channel myself before heading out. I definitely knew I was going the wrong direction when the depth quickly dropped from 12 ft to 6ft .. and which point I started to correct our course. That was about the time that Dan got back to the cockpit and took over the helm at we hit 5 ft of water; at this point, he decided that since the channel bottom was primarily mud, Maja would be able to power thru to deeper water. Unfortunately, he powered through to 4 feet of water and we were hard aground. And yes, right in front of the harbor entrance, in full view of everyone at anchor, who were casually enjoying their breakfast and our show! Yes, in front of The Bean!
Thank goodness for unlimited tow insurance with BoatUS! And thank goodness they had a boat in Oriental, so help was on the way in about 20 minutes. Of course, nothing was easy this morning. We were definitely hard aground, and it took the tow boat close to an hour to ever-so-slowly coax Maja’s bow around and into deeper water. I’ve got to wonder what these tow boat captains say about us back home, but on the water, they are so pleasant and encouraging that you never really feel like a dumb ass!
So, by 9:00 a.m, we were underway for the 2nd time today, and facing the rough waters of the Neuse River wasn’t as daunting as facing the grounding. We slogged up the river, gritting my teeth and watching the miles tick away, until we turned into the Bay River where we were once again in protected water, with the wind at our back. All together now, WHEW!
Our destination was Belhaven, NC, but we stopped 5 miles short, at 3pm, because we found a beautiful little bay up Slade Creek to anchor. We figured this was the spot for us when we saw several dolphins circling the bay. This is by far the prettiest spot we have yet to anchor. After watching the dolphins until they swam too far from the boat to see, we decided that this secluded spot was perfect to go swimming from the boat (first time for that). A great way to end a rather unnerving day … reinforcing the point that you do get thru the trying parts, it just takes a little teeth gritting!
We are at mile maker 140. Tomorrow, our goal is the Alligator River where we will head into a marina after two days on the hook. The temps at nite have been much cooler so w/o the need of an AC we actually prefer being at anchor over a marina. Not that we are much better at getting the boat to anchor vs. snugging up to a dock, It’s generally cooler b/c of the breeze and definitely more private and scenic (oh yes, and cheaper!). With the solar shower hanging in the bow, the freezer making ice cubes, and the engine/solar panel keeping our batteries fully charged, we come close to being self sufficient on the water.
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