Savannah to Norfolk - Why go in a Beaufort?

[WanderIVth]

Hello everyone,

I'm headed from Savannah to Norfolk and almost everyone I talk to says they go inside the Outer Banks at Beaufort, then head up. I understand the added time for going out around Hatteras, but why not go in at Ocracoke? What am I missing?

Thank you.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Wander.

[Paul L]

Because it is a shallow, shifting banks inlet with often moving or missing marks, that is best crossed in mild conditions with local knowledge.

[tkeithlu]

And, because the Hatteras passage is not called "the graveyard of the Atlantic" for nothing. The polar current coming south and the gulf stream coming north collide off Hatteras, which is why Hatteras is there, for one. Oregon Inlet moves 60 feet per year. That is one dangerous chunk of water. When I was a kid, the Outer Banks were littered with WWII wreaks that tried to go around the outside under engine power, and the Hatteras light was where water is now.

Really, the sounds are great sailing. You have the wind from the Atlantic but not the swell. Same goes for the Chesapeake. Both are well worth a few miles of ICW.

[AA3JY]

Depends..sail with deep draft or power??

[billknny]

It depends on the boat... it ALWAYS depends on the boat.

You have to remember that Hatteras has its bad reputation (that gets repeated over and over from the armchair) from the days when weather forecasts--if they existed at all--were a joke, and offshore navigation was done by dead reckoning on even the largest ships. Under those conditions it is easy to get in trouble there.

We have passed Hatteras--always offshore--10 times in the last 5 years, and each time is was a comfortable and delightful sail. Not because we are just lucky, either.

A trip from Savannah to Norfolk on our boat is 3 days, if you follow weather forecasts you will NOT be surprised by a sudden Nor'easter in three days. You will follow the Gulf Stream north until just about the latitude of Hatteras, which will have you more 50 miles off shore, then run a rhumb line for Norfolk when the wind and current makes sense.

There is NO reason to cut the corner tight and be close in to shallow, rough water unless you are just scared of the ocean, in which case don't go.

[powsmias]

nice thread

[WanderIVth]

Originally Posted by billknny

It depends on the boat... it ALWAYS depends on the boat.

Thank everyone for their crazy fast responses. It will be in a 41' catamaran with about a 4' draft. The wife isn't too keen on doing overnights so we'll be stopping along the way to anchor at night which will keep us, necessarily close to shore. By what I've read, looks like we'll also go in at Beaufort.

Again, thank you all.

[TideTime]

I understand billknny's position that it always depends upon the boat, but I would prefer to say it always depends upon the captain and then the boat.

[captmikem]

Originally Posted by billknny

It depends on the boat... it ALWAYS depends on the boat.

You have to remember that Hatteras has its bad reputation (that gets repeated over and over from the armchair) from the days when weather forecasts--if they existed at all--were a joke, and offshore navigation was done by dead reckoning on even the largest ships. Under those conditions it is easy to get in trouble there.

We have passed Hatteras--always offshore--10 times in the last 5 years, and each time is was a comfortable and delightful sail. Not because we are just lucky, either.

A trip from Savannah to Norfolk on our boat is 3 days, if you follow weather forecasts you will NOT be surprised by a sudden Nor'easter in three days. You will follow the Gulf Stream north until just about the latitude of Hatteras, which will have you more 50 miles off shore, then run a rhumb line for Norfolk when the wind and current makes sense.

There is NO reason to cut the corner tight and be close in to shallow, rough water unless you are just scared of the ocean, in which case don't go.

My thoughts exactly, I have sailed past Hatteras many many times going north and south. It is good sailing and unless there is a sever gale or hurricane it is just like any other piece of ocean.

Have a good trip,

M

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by WanderIVth

Thank everyone for their crazy fast responses. It will be in a 41' catamaran with about a 4' draft. The wife isn't too keen on doing overnights so we'll be stopping along the way to anchor at night which will keep us, necessarily close to shore. By what I've read, looks like we'll also go in at Beaufort.

Again, thank you all.

If you want to go in every night you have to time the trip just right to do Hatteras. In your cat the actual transit and going in the inlet won't really be an issue, it's just much more convenient and flexible to go inside and since you can still sail a good chunk of the way it's not as bad being stuck in other parts of the ditch. I chose to go in at Beaufort for the same reason as you, sailing during the day only and just no real benefit to Hatteras even though I wouldn't think twice about going in Ocracoke on my cat which is similar to yours.

As an aside, I found the trepidation that seems to be commonly expressed at going in to many of the inlets from FL to Norfolk was really overblown. Could be because I was in a shallow draft cat, could be because when I think inlets I'm thinking about crossing bars on the West Coast, but even the ones that were described as borderline impassible were a complete non-event for me and didn't require any exception seamanship nor were they in any way scary. So you might want to take what you read about them with a grain of salt, depending on your experience and comfort level with basic navigation, weather forecasting, and awareness of tides and currents and how they interact with the wind.

[jmschmidt]

Oh, I was about to ask, what is a Beaufort and why were you trying go in it? Or maybe you were referring to the wind intensity.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Oh, I was about to ask, what is a Beaufort and why were you trying go in it? Or maybe you were referring to the wind intensity.

Confusingly it's the name of a city on the Intracoastal where you can choose to go around in the big ocean or stay in the ICW.

[WanderIVth]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Confusingly it's the name of a city on the Intracoastal where you can choose to go around in the big ocean or stay in the ICW.

I put "a" instead of "at".

Also, thanks for the reply. I'm a bit curious as to what parts of the ditch are actually sail-able. This is our first big boat purchase and we're heading up on this trip directly after the purchase going from landlubbers to liveaboards.

[33trippindaisy]

Well, its like this. Many folks here will tell you they have done these NC inlets without a hitch, like running through a bowl of water. I'll tell you what an old local told me about these inlets.

Rule #1- These inlets will kill you, and yes likely your family too, just as soon as YOU think you got it.

Rule #2- See Rule #1

Thats exactly how easy it is friend! The good, easy ones are at Little River SC and Wrightsville Beach NC. Both are really nice inlets with really nice huge rocks on both sides leading you in and out. Nice ones too. Unless they aren't. Which they can be at times. Going to Beaufort or Hatteras, best be on your game.

I've been through most all of them, good days and bad. Seen days where a thirty foot sport fishing boat with a single engine inboard was swung 180 degrees whether you liked it or not. Not enough power to get the back side of the wave and stay there, so you can't pretend. Also ran through Lockwood Folly Inlet in a 17 foot skiff looking at sand on the bottom and watching a 25 foot C-hawk get rolled because the Captain did not have the skills to get in. Its one of those tide vs wave things that don't seem to care what kind of boat you got. If you can't run the waves in, best keep going North. On the other hand I have seen the inlets look like glasswater.......different day, different results. Watch the locals as they come and go, and you'll see how and where the line is. The cans will kill you. They are off so often it drives me nuts, so watch the boats. If there are no boats coming and going keep heading North.

Me, I would go in at Wrightsville Beach, head North for about oh a long mile or two, and pull into Rich Inlet from the backside. Plenty of water for your cat, quiet, can be isolated except for the few homes on the end of Figure 8 Island, and lay down the anchor and rest for a couple of days in a spot that makes you think of the Bahamas. This spot is local knowledge, it is beautiful water surrounded by stunning sand bars at low tide, crank up some nice music and relax. It really does not get much better than this little anchorage, and few would pass by after they know about it. They quit going out the inlet years ago and it shoaled in. At high tide you can squeak a small skiff through if you wanted too, but why. You are already in Heaven! LOL! Try it, and then just hit the ICW and run the outer side up instead of the Alligator/Pungo and you can sail most of the way.

Pretty much that easy!