Stops to sleep between Hatteras and Chesapeake Bay Entrance?

[Scrimshaw4]

1. DO NOT try to anchor off shore.
2. DO NOT try to enter any of the few inlets between Cape Lookout and the Chesapeake Bay entrance. Without local knowledge you are at high risk of grounding in the entrances.
You DO NOT want to get caught of that coastline and have a storm kick up, particularly single handing.
There is a reason the area is known as the GRAVEYARD of the Atlantic.
Go in at Moorehead City / Beaufort, NC and take the ICW thru Norfolk to the Chesapeake. It's longer but SAFER. JMHO

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Scrimshaw4

1. DO NOT try to anchor off shore.
2. DO NOT try to enter any of the few inlets between Cape Lookout and the Chesapeake Bay entrance. Without local knowledge you are at high risk of grounding in the entrances.
You DO NOT want to get caught of that coastline and have a storm kick up, particularly single handing.
There is a reason the area is known as the GRAVEYARD of the Atlantic.
Go in at Moorehead City / Beaufort, NC and take the ICW thru Norfolk to the Chesapeake. It's longer but SAFER. JMHO

That would be quite a bit longer considering I would have to go back out Oracoke. Lots of 65’ fixed bridges along that route.

1). Why? And what exactly do you mean offshore? That’s an ambiguous term. I’m thinking of anchoring next to the beach on a good weather window. Light westerly winds, minimal swell. It’s only one night.

2) I pretty much agree with the inlet point you’re making based on the previous conversation in this thread. And seeing all of those sport fishers that go in and out at dawn and dusk. And probably any other time in between. But I think I can see a spot just inside each inlet where I could hang out for an evening. If worse comes to worse. Take a look. Here is the current depth from UsACE readings of both inlets. Both seem to have a good spot. But they each only have one spot really. So it’s dicey. If someone else is there then I would have to just go outside and anchor. We talked about this up thread. Both have a single spot on their south ends to spend a night

But!!!! Probably a lot more safe to just anchor along the beach wherever I get tired.

Oregon Inlet:





Rudee Inlet:

[markxengineerin]

Anchoring along the shore is obviously only a good option in very settled weather. But of the 3 times I've passed VA beach, 2 of them were settled, and I anchored 2x where Chotu will want to, not having the motivation to finish the last few hours of the trip. The odds are decent, especially in a cat, that it will be comfortable enough. I don't see much additional risk of being at anchor when a surprise storm hits (very low odds of that) vs. sailing, and nobody would recommend not sailing near shore for fear of random storms.

[mojosailing]

Since you have to go outside due to air draft, but you want to sleep, why don’t you get crew to help you?
There is a very good site called Coboaters.com. Costs less than $100/year. You can request crew help(free crew I might add). You give them food, you get to sleep.
Use that savings to get your bottom cleaned as you stated you are in a harbor. I can definitively state there are divers who can clean tour bottom where you are.
There aren’t any safe inlets without local knowledge between Hatteras and Chesapeake Bay that I am aware of. Heck with the local Towboat/US or SafeSea for local info about any inlet you are considering.
Pick your weather window carefully before you make your run.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by mojosailing

Since you have to go outside due to air draft, but you want to sleep, why don’t you get crew to help you?
There is a very good site called Coboaters.com. Costs less than $100/year. You can request crew help(free crew I might add). You give them food, you get to sleep.
Use that savings to get your bottom cleaned as you stated you are in a harbor. I can definitively state there are divers who can clean tour bottom where you are.
There aren’t any safe inlets without local knowledge between Hatteras and Chesapeake Bay that I am aware of. Pick your weather window carefully before you make your run.

Yeah. It’s all about the weather window. I need two days of calm/westerly. Without a lot of swell either, if possible so I can get some good rest.

What divers do you recommend actually? I would like to give them a call. I was thinking of just going to a sandbar and scraping myself. But it’s always worth it to hire that one out. As you are getting into the water and the little critters are biting you and stuff, it feels well worth it to hire it out. Ha ha

But no. I’m not really interested in crew. I don’t like people on my boat that are not my close friends or girls that I am seeing or whatever. I don’t want strangers on the boat. That’s much more stressful than sleeping in a tempest off the beach.

[Peeew]

I do this leg a few times a year. Morehead city to Chesapeake Bay is, for me, a leg that requires two people. Lots of traffic etc and too long for me to stay awake. We have had quite a few boats lately anchor overnight or a few days at the south shore of the Chesapeake bay just east of the bay bridge-tunnel. If the wind is Southerly and not too rolly it’s a good stop. Watch for sand bars close to the beach.
Kiptopeke is a nice place. Usually a lot of current and a bad swell seems to always be there working around the point. If you come in at night watch for the fish trap poles.

[Chotu]

If only I had a complete rig I could do it in about 12 hours. Maybe less.

But I’m stuck at 5 or 6 kn motoring.

Next time I pass by it’ll be easier

[wholybee]

I have only made the trip once, in a mono, and it was nonstop/singlehanded from Charleston. But I can relate my experience.

First, it's fast, the current helps. I normally make 5-6 knots average,7 on a good day, but I was doing 8-9 SOG. I might have hit 10 a few times. So, it should be well less than 24 hours to make the trip 150 miles. That is a short enough passage that you can all but guarantee you will have good conditions and not need to stop.

On an ebb tide, the currents at the entrance of the bay can be strong. Upon entering the bay, I had to stop as I just couldn't overcome them. As soon as you enter and cross the bridge/tunnel, turn left and anchor just outside the channel. Take a nap and wait for the tide to turn, then ride the flood to your destination.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by wholybee

I have only made the trip once, in a mono, and it was nonstop/singlehanded from Charleston. But I can relate my experience.

First, it's fast, the current helps. I normally make 5-6 knots average,7 on a good day, but I was doing 8-9 SOG. I might have hit 10 a few times. So, it should be well less than 24 hours to make the trip 150 miles. That is a short enough passage that you can all but guarantee you will have good conditions and not need to stop.

On an ebb tide, the currents at the entrance of the bay can be strong. Upon entering the bay, I had to stop as I just couldn't overcome them. As soon as you enter and cross the bridge/tunnel, turn left and anchor just outside the channel. Take a nap and wait for the tide to turn, then ride the flood to your destination.

You must have tried to enter on a peak tide cycle maybe full moon or something.

I can enter the Bay from the ocean on my Bristol 27 during an ebb tide.

I have a 5 hp outboard as auxiliary power if I need extra help.

I'm up near Kipotopeke here in this video.

I had just hit bottom on Latimer Shoal as it was lower than normal due to this Ebb Tide that was ripping.

Some of the Fish Trap Pilings are being pushed back and forth by the tide.

I can motor in calm conditions about 5 knots. Due to this tide I can only get 2.3 knots. I rarely run my outboard maxed out but had to here.

The Latimer Shoal is on the Northern Side of the Bay Bridge Tunnel right at the high span and the tide runs strong there

As soon as I passed the fish trap pilings near the end of the video, I went in closer to shore and out of the strongest current. It's about a 35'-40' channel where I am in the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6sHpweobRM

[VeinDocFL]

Just pull up to the shallows near the beach and set anchor. Depending on the weather it can be fine or rocking but you can get some rest. I’ve rounded six times and done that twice. Ocracoke to Rudee or reverse in a straight shot works but time it so you round the Cape in daylight.

[Seaward22]

Here’s a link to the latest USACE of Oregon: https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Hydrographic-Surveys/Manteo-Oregon-Inlet/

It was done 6/13.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

Where do you anchor in Little Creek? I have been to Cobb's Marina a few times now and don't recall ever seeing a boat on anchor anywhere in there.

Yeah I think the prior poster meant there are marinas to overnight at in Little Creek which is true I think there are like six of them in a row covering every square inch.

My boat is there and like you I have never seen anyone anchored out.

Chotu if you do swing this way Little Creek is reasonably sheltered and Cobbs Marina is a decent DIY yard. It is a bit pricey (as most stuff in the area is). Prices get cheaper as you push westward into the bay.

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.9249...!1e3?entry=ttu

https://fishing-app.gpsnauticalchart....9223/-76.1778

As you come down the channel as others have indicated hang that right into the creek proper as soon as it becomes available. Sailing further south will get a welcome visit from the Navy boys. It happens all the time so they are semi-chill about it. As chill as a armed rib telling you over loud hailer to cut your engines can be.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Any chance you can get the bottom cleaned before you leave? If you can, how fast does the boat motor with both engines at 80% throttle?

Sounds like wrong prop pitch

Willoughby Bay is an easy anchorage and there is a marina at the opposite side west of the bridge.

[Seaward22]

Originally Posted by Seaward22

Here’s a link to the latest USACE of Oregon: https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Hydrographic-Surveys/Manteo-Oregon-Inlet/

It was done 6/13.

Couldn’t get the KML of the inlet to download on Google Earth but the channel to Manteo and beyond did. Was researching this area for an upcoming trip. There is a small harbor by the Coast Guard station and fishing center, near the inlet but charts of this area are sketchy.
Sail the Cape Lookout area and if this area is anything like outside of the main channel to Morehead charts are worthless.

[sailorman14]

Your BEST option is to take additional crew and stand watches. I like 3 people onboard with 3 hour watches each. This is the safest option.