![]() We departed Coinjock at 7:20am this morning. The 75' Burger, ironically named Encore 5, was tied up right behind us and could have used the extra room to get away from the dock. We helped him out and got out of his way. We travelled slowly through the canal until there was room to pass a trawler and a sailboat. After passing one more sailboat, it was clear motoring through the Albemarle Sound. The waves were a little rough, but it was manageable. The water calmed down once we got to the Alligator River. As we approached the infamous swing bridge, a beautiful classic old boat was in front of us. I think I could smell the varnish from all of the wood trim. It was perfect timing as we both went through the swing bridge on the same opening. I'm sure all the drivers appreciated only one opening. After transiting the rest of the Alligator River we came to the Alligator-Pungo Canal. This is fairly narrow channel, and very straight, with a lot of opportunity to hit submerged logs. It is very remote and lacks any sign of civilization. We had the canal to ourselves for awhile until we came upon a catamaran traveling at a typically slow speed. We asked for a slow pass and moved to the port side of the channel at a very slow speed as the cat moved a little starboard. I wanted to give them room, but it was a little too much as we suddenly experienced a "thump." Undoubtedly we got a little out of the channel and hit something. As I moved slowly to the center of the channel, we experienced a second "thump." When we experienced a thump two years ago outside of Rock Hall, it resulted in an expensive prop retuning. Each of our pods has two counter-rotating props........and they face forward. So, when we hit something it hits the props first. It is a trade-off to have the convenience, docking ease and efficiency of the pods, but also a greater chance of serious prop damage After we passed the catamaran, I was able to get clearly in the center of the channel and open up to see if we had any damage to the running gear. I think we avoided major damage, but we may be having a slight bit of vibration. Hard to know if there is any damage to the prop blades until we can take look at them. We passed a few more sailboats in the canal, each time taking extreme care. One of the sailboats we passed is docked next to us in the marina, and they were very complimentary about how nice our pass was. Some powerboaters are not real courteous others and forget how much turbulence they create with their wake. They remembered us since I mentioned on the radio when we passed that we had hit something on the previous pass. We made it safely out of the canal and headed down the Pungo River to Dowry Creek Marina, where we are staying for the night. It is a very nice marina and they are working hard to make it an enjoyable, as well as, cost-effective stay. Martha took advantage of the free laundry facilities and we grilled some chicken for dinner on the provided gas grills. I'll probably get some fuel in the morning as they have the lowest price I have seen so far. Two other boats from Coinjock pulled in later in the day. It is apparent that we will continue to meet up with the same boats along this journey.
The sun finally came out this afternoon and gave me a chance to give the boat a good wash down. We are anticipating a nice day tomorrow, mostly sunny and in the mid 70's as we head for Morehead City. Strong winds are expected later in the week, so I need to find a good place to dock somewhere around Wrightsville Beach and wait it out. Thanks for reading. Let us know if there are any specifics you would like to know about our journey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Bob FramptonArchivesCategories
All
|