Time in Beaufort, then a tricky passage on the ICW

Christmas decorations in Beaufort

It felt decadent to spend nearly two whole weeks in one place — Beaufort, NC. When we arrived on Sunday, Nov. 17, we were greeted warmly at Homer Smith Dock & Marina, where we promptly pumped out (the toilet holding tank) before motoring to our slip. The marina afforded us many comforts, including free laundry, nice showers, a courtesy car that we borrowed several times and convenient package delivery. We also loved that it was walking distance to downtown Beaufort, where we explored and dined as often as we could with our busy work schedules.

We met a lot of new friends and reconnected with old friends and even family when Hugh’s cousin Gunnar and wife Leah sailed into town on their catamaran. Every day we chatted with dock neighbors who had notes to compare and tips to share to aid us on our voyage. On Thanksgiving, we were grateful to be hosted in nearby Emerald Isle by fellow Caliber owners Ja & Kim, who Hugh had met three years ago in Florida. We loved meeting Kim’s mom Annie and “bonus” dad Herb, who didn’t seem to mind us interlopers at their family gathering. Also joining us was Caliber owner Gary from Portsmouth, RI, (just around the corner from Hugh’s parents); I (Sylvia) have known Gary for many months, but only as “SV/ES” (Sailing Vessel/Emerald Seas) on Facebook, so it was great to finally meet him in person and share several meals and many sailing stories with him.

Among the highlights from our time in Beaufort were a dinghy ride to Bird Shoal Island; dinner at City Kitchen and Mezcalito’s with Gunnar and Leah; shopping at the farmers market and at the Loaves & Fishes thrift store; “Pirate Days,” featuring canon battles in the harbor; a boat party aboard Tim & Carolyn’s catamaran Lady Lookout; fresh steamed oysters at Back Street Tavern; street tacos with Jaime, Ben and Daisy; and two amazing meals at Beaufort Grocery.

Hugh’s electric scooter came in handy for running errands, and I was lucky enough to get a ride to nearby Morehead City with new friend Jamie for some bloodwork I needed done. Hugh also completed a couple of boat projects: installing new bilge pump switches and inspecting/re-marking the depths on the anchor chain.

Knowing, however, that we want to get farther south, we left Beaufort on a very chilly (35 degree) morning, Saturday, Nov. 30, with Gary helping us shove off, We motored uneventfully down the Intracoastal Waterway for about 7 hours and I was below deck making tea when I felt the boat stop abruptly and heard Hugh exclaim. I ran up to find that we had run aground in the middle of the channel. Another sailboat was also aground in the same area, but Hugh had been unable to tell and thought perhaps they were anchored. In fact, he had been looking for their anchor chain as he attempted to pass them. He came to the realization they were stuck at about the same moment Sans Souci‘s keel hit the bottom. He radioed their captain to discuss our mutual situation. Hugh was able to back our boat out of the sandy bottom, but each time he tried to move forward on a different course, we hit bottom again. Eventually, he Googled “Topsail Inlet” to find a high-definition sonar map that showed a route through, which he was able to follow. We stayed in contact with the other boat, which, unfortunately, sat mired for many more hours waiting for high tide. Long after we had gone to bed, at anchor in Sloop Creek near Surf City, NC, the other boat caught up to us and anchored nearby.

Sunday we motored just a few hours to Carolina Beach, our new anchorage for the week. We were spoiled being at a dock in Beaufort; here we have to take the dinghy to shore to go for a walk, get groceries, etc. We went ashore briefly last night, just long enough to get a few supplies and walk along the ocean beach. Monday morning it’s back to work, with more sailing planned for next weekend.