Back Creek, Annapolis, MD — 11•01•24
Trouble was eager to head south for warmer weather. I’d finished all the necessary preparations—provisioning was complete, and many boats were already departing Annapolis.
My trusty crewmate Bret arrived, and we had a narrow weather window to make it down the Chesapeake Bay and around Cape Hatteras. This meant an overnight sail down the bay. The Chesapeake is notorious for crab pots, making nighttime navigation risky, but our plan was to stay close to the shipping channel, where crab pots are prohibited.
0915 – We dropped the mooring in light rain and 45-degree chill. By 10 a.m., engines were off, and we were under full sail. As night fell, we dropped the sails and motored. The overnight passage was busy—dodging container ships and maneuvering around other vessels.
Norfolk, VA — 11•02•24
0500 – Winds picked up as we exited the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel under sail, with one reef in the main and a partial furl on the genoa. We headed down the North Carolina coast in 20-knot northerlies, with building seas.
2000 – Sailing toward Cape Hatteras under genoa alone, as the wind was dead astern and the main was causing problems at that angle.
Hatteras, NC — 11•03•24
0115 – (1:15 am)
We rounded Cape Hatteras with only the genoa flying.
(Note: At 0300 this morning, Daylight Saving Time ended—we “fell back” one hour.)
We motor-sailed most of the day along the North Carolina coast, pushing to make good time and enter Charleston Harbor on the incoming tide the next morning.
Charlson, SC — 11•04•24
0900 – Anchor down near the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point. Total nonstop run from Annapolis: ~520 nm, averaging 7.1 knots, with 73 engine hours.
We rested up and toured the destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724) while waiting a day for our slip at the Charleston Maritime Center Marina. After fueling and tying up, we treated ourselves to fresh oysters and a few beers at The Darling Oyster Bar.
