As you’ve likely noticed, we’re several months behind in our blog updates. To see where we are in ‘real-time,’ please click here.
JO BETH was launched at Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works in Fernandina Beach, FL on April 26th and secured alongside the facility service docks. Walt, the facility mechanic had some minor work to complete on the auxiliary diesel engine service; purging the air from cooling system, finalizing the propeller shaft alignment, and checking general engine operation. Those tasks were completed by mid-afternoon that same day and JO BETH was secured behind the trawler yacht ANDIAMO, a beautiful Selene 53 owned by our close and longtime friend Rusty Thomas. But for Lisa and I, it was now that the real work began in earnest.
JO BETH afloat again - Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works Service Docks
After JO BETH was hauled in March, we discovered a serious mold problem had developed aboard, inside almost every enclosed locker and cabinet. Our clothes and linens were damp and sported blotches of mold, as did our canvas bags we used for groceries, camera bags and cases, hats, the undersides of cushions, etc. To make matters worse, we discovered that the edge of a through bolt which fastened the legs of the arch on the aft port quarter side deck had worn a small hole through the engine exhaust hose. The engine uses sea water, sucked in from outside, to cool the antifreeze-coolant mixture which circulates in the internal cooling system of the engine, much like a car radiator uses air passing over it to cool a car’s engine. The seawater is then injected into the exhaust hose at a mixing elbow where it cools the hot exhaust gasses, before everything is pushed overboard through the exhaust hose. A fine mist of sea water had been sprayed throughout the compartment over several days of engine operation. This resulted in a massive mold bloom within the locker. Lisa and I spent nearly three full days literally removing all of our possessions from the boat’s interior, including clothes, linens, sails, tools, bags and backpacks, hats…you name it. We also had to empty the refrigerator and freezer and transfer the contents to our friend’s Rusty and Phyllis’s home where we were staying for the duration of the haul period.
The next two weeks were spent doing laundry, cleaning and removing mold from our bags, books, camera cases, clothes, jackets, hats, linens, etc. We threw away our pillows and replaced them with new ones, but several things couldn’t be saved and were also discarded. I spent a solid week on board JO BETH cleaning and scrubbing every interior surface I could reach. We used a water/vinegar solution to clean, followed by an essential oil blend in an atomizer to spray everything after it was cleaned. The boat held the rich and pleasant aromas of clove, cinnamon, and lemon for quite some time afterwards.
Meanwhile, boat work began at a fast and focused pace – at least compared to most of our other boatyard experiences. Lisa and I were pleasantly surprised when we saw that by the afternoon of the same day JO BETH was hauled, the bottom was washed, cleaned, and scraped, and the waterline fully taped and ready for paint. The painting crew were busy sanding the old paint and by the next morning, the first coat of marine antifouling paint was going on. Later that same morning, the rudder, propeller shaft and propeller shaft bearing were removed. By the afternoon, the propeller shaft and shaft coupling were cleaned and examined for any issues, with several being found. Orders were placed for replacement components. The mechanic began doing the complete engine service and the electrician began his projects. By the start of the following week, the paint contractors had finished almost all of the bottom painting and had also repaired Lisa’s Beaufort, NC un-docking mishap on the aft port quarter topsides. Click here to read more about the work we had done while at Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works.
During our time in Fernandina Beach, Lisa rented a car and drove to Atlanta for her COVID postponed 40th high school reunion. She took a few days to visit friends while there, and returned early the next week with a raging sinus infection. Fortunately, our annual check-ups were already scheduled for the same week she returned. I was lucky and managed to avoid it completely.
The day after JO BETH’s launch, having been on the hard for six weeks, we began the process of moving back aboard. I took the opportunity to reorganize how most of our gear and equipment was stowed. We also took the opportunity to rid ourselves of clothes we weren’t using and to continue the move away from cotton fabrics to quick dry and wool blend fabrics. More than a few loads of clothes, etc., went back to our storage locker and to the local charity shops. The boat also received a very serious bath and scrub on her house and decks, courtesy of Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works.
I spent some time monitoring the new and old solar panel power output and getting to know our new Iridium Satellite communications system. The Iridium system allows us to receive weather updates anywhere in the world via a satellite internet connection, as well as make and receive phone calls and send and receive plain text email and text messages. It’s pretty impressive, and while it’s required a steep climb on the learning curve, it’s well worth it.
We were also surprised to see our friends Gail and Tim from the yacht WHODOGGI appear at the Tiger Point service dock. They had been in the anchorage at Fernandina Beach with generator troubles. The boat yard electrician soon had them up and running and on their way. We were able to get away for dinner together during their stay.
It took several days for us to be back on board fully, but finally we were thanks to the help of Rusty and Phyllis. On May 17, we slipped away from Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works and headed for the East River on the southern end of Georgia’s Cumberland Island. We were anchored by mid-afternoon. We planned to stay for several days, to rest and to wait for a fair wind to sail towards Beaufort, NC, some 400 miles to the northeast. However, as they often don’t, plans didn’t work out.
During our medical check-ups, our doctor made a slight change to one of my medications. Within a week or so, I began experiencing some rather unpleasant digestive side effects, though I didn’t immediately link it to the medication change. Instead, I believed it was a reaction to the addition of some foods containing Stevia as a sweetener. Soon after we left the boatyard, insomnia began to kick in. I knew then, it wasn’t likely Stevia causing the issues. I placed a call the doctor’s office and he suggested I come in for a follow-up. I also conducted an experiment of my own; I stopped taking the new medication and reverted to the original prescription. Within a couple of days, the digestive troubles were gone, though sleep was slow in coming. After a week or so, I went back to the new prescription and very quickly, was experiencing problems again. Lisa and I upped anchor and headed to Brunswick, GA and our home base of Brunswick Landing Marina. My prescription was changed and within just a few days, all was well again.
Beach Day - we had the entire stretch of beach on Cumberland Island to ourselves
Our last few days at Cumberland Island weren’t without some fun and excitement. Lisa and I went to the beach one afternoon, even taking a swim in the still cool Atlantic waters. We took ice-cold showers ashore at one of the campgrounds and wandered the island a bit. Later that week, the anchorage began to fill up as a weather system was approaching, bringing rain squalls and strong northerly winds. We rigged JO BETH accordingly, fitting a rain awning over our forward hatch. The awning allows us to leave the hatch open, even during rain, providing us with much needed ventilation. We only got a little bit of rain, but the winds were strong and straight from the north. The East River lies in a north-south orientation, and when the wind is in opposition to the tidal flow, the river can become quite choppy and rough. We are usually aware of the tidal cycles wherever we are and make it a point to check conditions when the tide changes. When these changes happen in the middle of the night, it’s usually me who does the checking.
We are LOVING our full cockpit enclosure
During one of the brief rain squalls, a corner of our rain awning came loose and was flapping about in the breeze. It was just after midnight, and after re-tying the awning in a cold and pelting rain, I was wide awake. I made a quick visual check of things, noting the positions of other boats around us, and checked our reference bearings. Satisfied all was well, I ducked into the cabin, put on a dry shirt, grabbed my book and went back into the shelter of the cockpit enclosure. After an hour or so, I was dozing off and ready to crawl back into the warm bed. I looked around again, noting the tide had changed fully and checking how boats close to us were doing. That’s when I noticed the sailboat anchored closest to us was dragging her anchor.
A boat will ‘drag’ it’s anchor when the anchor breaks out of the bottom. Anchors are designed to bury into and ‘grip’ the seabed, be it sandy, muddy, clay, rocky, and so on. While weight does play a factor, how well an anchor holds depends on its ‘set,’ or how well dug into the bottom it is. The boat was a 45’ Beneteau sailboat, a sleek and relatively light displacement cruising sailboat. It had been anchored to our south for two days or so, but this particular tidal change and the increased winds proved too much for the set on her anchor. Now sideways to the opposing wind and tide, she drifted east, directly towards the muddy beach and northern end of the Sea Camp Docks, while her crew was sleeping quite soundly below decks.
I yelled to Lisa to wake her up and make her aware of what was happening. I grabbed a portable horn and began sounding the international danger signal of five rapid blasts. Nothing. I repeated the signal again; still nothing. I tried hailing them on the VHF radio, getting no reply. By now, she was less than a hundred feet behind us and about two hundred feet from the dock when her anchor dug itself in again. She came to a hard stop less than seventy-five feet from our stern. Wide awake once again, I picked up my book and settled down with a big sigh. As I needed to monitor our swinging circle, I didn’t get any sleep that night.
Shortly after dawn, I noticed some stirrings aboard the Beneteau. The winds had eased considerably, and the she was no longer behind us, but sat quietly off to our port quarter, but still close. A man’s head popped out of the hatch and he stepped into the cockpit. He took a quick look around and ducked down to the hatch again. A woman stepped into the cockpit, and after a quick conversation, they came to realize what had happened, the woman pointing out their prior position. Soon after, they weighed anchor and moved a half mile north in the river and re-anchored.
We left for Brunswick, GA the following morning, planning a week there. After the follow-up visit with the doctor, we generally took things easy. We topped up our provisions, including fuel and water, and pumped out the waste holding tank. We visited with friends, collected mail, and dined at a few favorite spots. Our friends Jesus and Mia introduced us to brioche donuts and Lisa was able to get caught up with her work.
Underway in the North Atlantic Ocean
On Saturday, May 28, we had a good weather window to leave Brunswick, GA and sail to Beaufort, NC. We were also watching the season’s first tropical system, then known as PTC (Potential Tropical Storm) Alex which had just entered the Gulf of Mexico after crossing Central America from the Pacific. Alex wasn’t a threat to us directly, but we needed to stay aware of his whereabouts and development. We left Brunswick Landing Marina at about noon, with the turning of the high tide, so we would have a boost out of the rivers and sounds into the ocean. By two in the afternoon, we exited the long St. Simons Bar Channel and set sail on a rolling swell some ten miles off the north end of St. Simons, making our way north. The day was sunny and the swell soon settled as a brisk south easterly breeze pushed us along at five or six knots.
Anchored cargos ships off of Savannah, GA
By midnight, the wind had slacked a good bit and we had Savannah on our port beam, her lights a distant glow just over the horizon. We were now sailing through the main anchorage area for the port of Savannah, and were surrounded by no less than two dozen anchored steel behemoths, each waiting their turn to enter the port to discharge and load cargo. I’m sure we had the attention of all the night watches as we slowly made our way through the maze of ships at three or four knots. It was actually a beautiful night, the lights of the anchored ships mimicking the stars overhead.
Sunset at sea - passing Winyah Bay, SC
Sunrise at sea
By dawn, we were passing the South Carolina coast between Beaufort and Charleston, and were past Charleston by early afternoon. The winds filled in again soon thereafter and we roared past Winyah Bay, SC and into our second night at sea. By now, PTC Alex was Tropical Storm Alex and seemed to have a decent chance of impacting our weather within the next few days. After discussing the situation, Lisa and I decided to alter our course to the west-northwest and make for a landfall at Cape Fear, NC. At noon the next day, we entered the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway under motor power, going to Wrightsville Beach. By evening twilight, we were anchored in Banks Channel at Wrightsville Beach, NC.
Back in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - Cape Fear River, Southport, NC
It was a pleasant surprise to see two boats we knew in the Banks Channel anchorage; Herby and Maddie aboard the yacht WISDOM and Frank and Jessica aboard their yacht DESIRE. Technically speaking, we knew Herby and Maddie only through our interactions on our respective Instagram pages, and through some text message and telephone exchanges, but it was a real pleasure to finally meet in person. We knew Frank and Jessica from last year’s sailing season as our tracks crisscrossed multiple times between Georgia and North Carolina. Timing didn’t work out with them to spend much time together, unfortunately. We were able to enjoy dinner with Herby and Maddy aboard JO BETH. We also saw Gail and Tim on WHODOGGI again while they were in Wrightsville Beach.
(Check out WISDOM’s and DESIRE’s YouTube Channels! Just click on their boat names.)
banks Channel, Wrightsville Beach, NC - DESIRE is the closest boat to us
We spent three nights in Banks Channel, waiting to see what if anything Tropical Storm Alex would produce. Fortunately, it turned out to be nothing; unfortunately, the reason Alex wasn’t a bother was because of an approaching cold front which was forecast to produce nasty conditions over the North Carolina coast for a couple of days. Friends living in Wilmington, NC, Reuel and Pam, offered us the use of a vacant slip in Carolina Beach, some 12 miles south of Wrightsville Beach, as shelter. We needed to provision and fill the water tanks, and JO BETH needed a good bath. We needed a good bath as well, and to do laundry. So, we turned our bows into the Waterway and headed south, backtracking a few miles. Reuel was a great host and opened their home to us. Pam was in Egypt on a Red Sea Scuba expedition. (Pam is a fantastic photographer, above and below the water – take a look at her work here.)
We also found out a friend from Marathon, FL, Tim, was moored in the Carolina Beach Harbor. We had met Tim and Christine in Marathon during our time in the Florida Keys. Tim was by himself aboard SERENITY as Christine was away dealing with her mom’s estate following her mom’s passing a few months prior. Tim, Lisa, and I all met at our mutual friends Ron and Fran’s home, whom we also met in the Keys, in Carolina Beach for dinner and some of Ron’s excellent home-brewed beer.
After a few days, the forecasted bad weather, which had far more bark than bite, had passed and we once again struck out north in the Waterway. We had intended to move from the Waterway into the Atlantic through the Masonboro Inlet and sail to Beaufort, NC to wait for weather to sail on north, around Cape Hatteras and to Norfolk, VA. But, the long-term weather forecast was not favorable for getting around Hatteras and sailing north. While the weather was favorable to get to Hatteras, the issue was that once there and around the Cape, the weather forecasts were anything but ideal. This pattern had persisted for more than a week, and in the interest of continuing north, Lisa and I put aside our plans for rounding Cape Hatteras offshore and decided to continue sailing north through North Carolina’s famous and wide Sounds – The Pamlico and The Albermarle.
There was another reason to not sail offshore to Beaufort, the weather aside: during the dates we were planning to go, a gigantic billfish tournament hosted in Morehead City, NC was slated to start. The Big Rock Tournament attracts well over 2,000 fishing boats, running in and out of the Beaufort Inlet at all hours and in all conditions, in a mad dash to catch the biggest fish and win a literal boatload of prize money. Beaufort Inlet can be rough at the best of times; the wakes from dozens of large sportfishing boats could make it worse and potentially dangerous if the wind and tide were not in agreement.
Moving north on the Waterway, we soon passed through Wrightsville Beach again, but our forward progress slowed when we came to the Figure Eight Island Swing Bridge five or so miles north. We’d been hearing broadcasts on the VHF radio from the Coast Guard that the bridge was inoperative and closed until further notice. We continued onward and when the bridge came into view, we saw three sailboats anchored close by. We hailed the bridge tender and he confirmed the bridge was indeed inoperative but crews were making repairs. We decided to turn out of the channel to anchor with the other boats and wait; our only other option was to turn back south to Wrightsville Beach. Almost immediately, we ran aground. The bottom rapidly rose from a depth of 12 feet to 5 feet in a matter of seconds. Fortunately, the bottom there is very soft mud and we were able to back off of the ground and get anchored in deeper water out of the channel.
Figure Eight Island Swing Bridge, back in service
After about an hour, the bridge tender announced via VHF radio the bridge was once again operational. A couple more boats had also anchored to wait, and suddenly, all of us were weighing anchor to get underway. Soon we were through and in a race with the building afternoon thunderstorms. We were heading towards an anchorage known as Mile Hammock Bay, which sits right in the middle of the huge United States Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune and just about halfway between Wrightsville Beach and Morehead City/Beaufort. We arrived there in a light rain shower, just as daylight was fading. It had been a long day. We couldn’t go ashore on the military base, and there was nowhere to go if we did. Once the anchor was set, Lisa and I poured ourselves a glass of wine and had a light supper before collapsing in sleep. Tomorrow was set to be another long day continuing north on the Waterway. Also, there were what appeared to be several drones hovering high over the anchorage throughout most of the night – the night watch, I suppose.
Our anchorage at Mile Hammock Bay - Camp Lejeune, NC
Soon after sunrise, we were underway again beneath a gray and overcast sky. We passed through the next drawbridge at Onslow Beach, NC and continued on into the wide yet shallow waters of Bouge Sound. By early afternoon we were passing through the busy port of Morehead City and in the thick of the Big Rock Fishing tournament. Gigantic sport fisherman growled all about the upper Bouge Sound waters, even following us north through the Waterway beyond the harbor area. We had planned a stop at Jarret Bay Marina north of Morehead City for fuel. While in Carolina Beach, we had emptied all of our surplus fuel from our deck stored jugs into the main tank. Now, we were down to about half a tank with no reserves. That’s plenty of fuel to get us to Oriental, but once beyond there, fueling opportunities would be few and far between. The Waterway through this stretch of North Carolina is essentially a canal, and sailing is not a reasonable option. We would be moving solely under motor power for several more miles.
Welcome to Oriental, NC…
I called Jarret Bay Boat Marina on the radio to arrange our taking on fuel and was basically laughed off the water by the dockmaster. “Cap’n” he calmly said, “with this tournament going on, we are only fueling by appointment. Do you have an appointment? Over.” Of course we had no appointment. I looked at the waterway to our south, to the four massive fishing boats following us. There was already one seventy footer fueling and another one in front of us waiting to go in. We would buy perhaps thirty or forty gallons of diesel at the most; the monster fishing boats would by at least one or two thousand gallons each. “No, we don’t have an appointment,” I answered. “We’ll carry on north. Over.” There was no reply. We turned around in the Waterway channel and throttled the engine ahead.
We soon entered the wide and choppy waters of the Neuse River as a dark line of squall clouds gathered around and streamed overhead. We were doused by a fast moving rain squall rain and watched as the menacing, bulging line of clouds moved away to the east, lightning streaking from cloud to ground followed by sharp claps of thunder. A moderate northwest breeze filled in behind the squall. Soon we passed through the breakwater into Oriental’s inner harbor. With the anchor set, we watched a spectacular sunset and enjoyed a quiet dinner.
We enjoyed a lovely sunset once anchored in Oriental’s Inner Harbor
My view doing the dishes…
The next morning, we weighed anchor and went into the inner harbor basin to the Oriental Marina and Inn fuel docks. I filled our deck stored fuel jugs and topped off our main tank with bright red diesel fuel while Lisa went across the street for coffee and croissants from The Bean Coffee Shop. Soon we were outbound from the harbor and back into the Neuse River. A stiff east-northeasterly breeze had rapidly developed and the waters of the river had built into a squared steep and angry chop. We were repeatedly slamming into three foot walls of water which essentially brought us to a standstill; then we would start moving forward again before the next wave stopped us just moments later. We were going nowhere fast and the ride was quite wet and miserable with spray flying everywhere. We briefly discussed changing course and crossing the Neuse to the South River on the Neuse’s southern shore, a popular and well sheltered anchorage. In fact, as we were to learn later in the day, Christine had rejoined Tim aboard SERENITY and they were anchored there. However, the river entrance lay to the east of Oriental; getting there would require us pounding into the steep and short waves for hours on end. We turned around, our collective tails tucked away and headed back to Oriental.
The City of Oriental provides two free docks, available to cruising yachts and boaters for up to 48 hours at no charge. There are no services there, such as water, electricity, etc., but the docks are well sheltered and secure. They had been available when left the fuel dock an hour earlier. Within an hour, we were dockside.
JO BETH on her last night at the Oriental Town (Free) Dock
Truthfully, we were in need of a good rest. It was Friday, and we stayed there until Sunday morning. For a very reasonable fee, $6/per person, the Oriental Marina and Inn provided us with 24 hour shower and laundry access. They even provided towels and soap/shampoo with the showers! Also, The Bean Coffee Shop, with great WiFi, is directly across the street, so we were able to get some work done. We texted with Tim aboard SERENITY and they had decided to stay anchored in South River to wait out the weather. We made plans to sail to the Outer Banks and Ocracoke Island, across Pamlico Sound, as soon as the weather abated.