Stops to sleep between Hatteras and Chesapeake Bay Entrance?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Chotu

The reason it’s the graveyard of the Atlantic is that idiots don’t go wide. People land on the sand bars.

.

Idiots?

Many if not most of those sinkings occurred back in the 1700's to late 1800's.

They didn't have very good charts or the internet back then.

No one to tell them to go wide!

You must not have seen that old National Geographic Magazine Cover.

https://nmsmonitor.blob.core.windows...gota-final.pdf

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Idiots?

Many if not most of those sinkings occurred back in the 1700's to late 1800's.

They didn't have very good charts or the internet back then.

No one to tell them to go wide!

You must not have seen that old National Geographic Magazine Cover.

https://nmsmonitor.blob.core.windows...gota-final.pdf

Well yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Anybody who is doing it today is an idiot.

Yet all of these people on here who are wetting themselves over going up the Hatteras beach on a boat are referencing all of these ancient sunken ships from the days of yore as a reason that it’s so incredibly dangerous here. Oh my!

I’m looking at these waters every day.

[jmc42]

Charlie Doane, sailboat writer, recently looked at some of the anchorages you are considering on his way north. Check out his Wavetrain blog post.

https://wavetrain.net/2023/06/16/nor...-oregon-inlet/

[Chotu]

Well, it looks like I’m going inside anyway. No stepped mast. There were some problems. I’m going horizontal with it and dealing with it when I get back.

[Chotu]

I am going to put a little bit more information in here however. Here are some pictures from today.

7 miles outside of Hatteras inlet. The Kraken seems to be sleeping.

This is the water everyone was trying to freak me out about.

[SaylorMade]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Well, it looks like I’m going inside anyway. No stepped mast. There were some problems. I’m going horizontal with it and dealing with it when I get back.

Why change the route?
You always knew you would not be able to sail anyway, or am I missing something?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by SaylorMade

Why change the route?
You always knew you would not be able to sail anyway, or am I missing something?

Mast will be horizontal instead of vertical so I can clear all bridges now with 13ft air draft needed.

No reason not to have a leisurely ICW ride where I can pull over to sleep any time, anywhere.

When I started the thread, I was going to have a 74ft air draft with a vertical mast. That would have made it impossible to clear all the bridges so there was no choice but to do the overnight around the outside of the Pamlico sound.

[Chotu]

I do have a completely different question now. Same area.

There appears to be an alternate route that you could take. Plenty of shallows and a little sketchy I’m wondering if anyone has taken it.

The green line on this chart is the ICW. Maybe I should have used magenta. Ha ha.

The red line is the alternate route I am looking at taking.

Is anyone familiar with this alternate route? Have you done it? Should I do it?

As is often the case around here, the charts are a little sketchy on the details. Not very many soundings. But the ones there are are really shallow in some spots.

[Chotu]

For instance here. This is a bit strange to me.

There is a 6.9 foot controlling depth on a channel that is running through soundings deeper than that.

That doesn’t make much sense.

Does that mean in this area there are a bunch of sand bars and whatever else that have filled it in and those deeper soundings should not be trusted? Why would they have a 6.9 foot channel through water that is apparently deeper than that?

[Bill O]

You'll be fine w/your 3' draft. You could take the channel between Roanoke & Bodie I. if you really don't think you could make it.

The only reason we need to go around is the fixed bridge, otherwise the depth is fine for our boat.
The sound will be more open to weather than the ICW route.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Bill O

You'll be fine w/your 3' draft. You could take the channel between Roanoke & Bodie I. if you really don't think you could make it.

The only reason we need to go around is the fixed bridge, otherwise the depth is fine for our boat.
The sound will be more open to weather than the ICW route.

Thanks!!

Just needed a little confirmation since it seemed illogical to have a 6.9ft channel in deeper water and these soundings around here are often subject to change.

It saves a ton of time to go that way.

[SaylorMade]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Mast will be horizontal instead of vertical so I can clear all bridges now with 13ft air draft needed.

No reason not to have a leisurely ICW ride where I can pull over to sleep any time, anywhere.

When I started the thread, I was going to have a 74ft air draft with a vertical mast. That would have made it impossible to clear all the bridges so there was no choice but to do the overnight around the outside of the Pamlico sound.

Right, makes perfect sense.
Us with the small boats are not used to such problems

[tomtriad]

Your "alternate route" is known as the Dismal Swamp Canal route and is charted in the ICW guidebook. It is less traveled, more beautiful, has fewer marinas, etc. The Canal itself is narrower than the Great Bridge Route, and has overhanging branches from the trees crowding the banks; if you go this route be sure to look up as well as to the sides to avoid snagging any.

A nice stop with free public docking is found at Elizabeth City just prior to entering the canal. There is a narrow pass through a defunct railroad bridge just north of E. City but adequate for a 30' plus beam.

In either case, I suggest you get a copy of "The Intracoastal Waterway" Norfolk to Miami by Jan & Bill Moeller, and the companion "ICW Chartbook" www.internationalmarine.com They have info on all the anchorages and stops available.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by tomtriad

Your "alternate route" is known as the Dismal Swamp Canal route and is charted in the ICW guidebook. It is less traveled, more beautiful, has fewer marinas, etc. The Canal itself is narrower than the Great Bridge Route, and has overhanging branches from the trees crowding the banks; if you go this route be sure to look up as well as to the sides to avoid snagging any.

A nice stop with free public docking is found at Elizabeth City just prior to entering the canal. There is a narrow pass through a defunct railroad bridge just north of E. City but adequate for a 30' plus beam.

In either case, I suggest you get a copy of "The Intracoastal Waterway" Norfolk to Miami by Jan & Bill Moeller, and the companion "ICW Chartbook" www.internationalmarine.com They have info on all the anchorages and stops available.

No, sorry. You are off. I’ve done both the Normal ICW and the Dismal Swamp Route several times. This is not that. This is an alternate route at the head of the Pamlico Sound

I remember enjoying the dismal swamp route when I took it before. And I remember that feeling of all of those trees crowding in. I thought it was pretty good. Not nearly as dismal and swampy as the name makes it out to be ha ha

Typically the way I do the ICW is a little different. I don’t really look for the crowded anchorages that people publish in guidebooks. I just stop wherever I want. Wherever I’m tired and it’s providing me shelter. Any place that looks like a good spot on the chart.

Then, since it’s like driving route 95 back-and-forth from Florida, I just look on Google maps to see which one has a grocery store or whatever I might need nearby.

This method works pretty well. The only thing you really have to watch out for are those stretches of canal through more urban areas where there is no spot to anchor. Thinking of Myrtle Beach. You just have to make sure you don’t end up in one of those at night. Otherwise it’s just pretty fluid.

Mostly, I don’t plan my stops at all. I just pull over at the end of the day when I’m done.

[tomtriad]

Been there done that too. Just be sure to go east of Roanoke Island.