Baltimore to Beaufort
It was cold leaving Baltimore. Damn cold. Mid 40s during the day and mid 30s at night. The wind was right though and within an hour of leaving the dock the sails were up and we were going at a good clip in the northwesterly breeze. My crew consisted of Pearce, the son of a friend of mine with almost no prior sailing experience, and Zach, a fellow 12 meter sailor from Newport. The breeze really picked up during the day and lasted into the night. It felt really good to be sailing Soveraine again, even if it was bitterly cold with the wind that night.
We motored into Norfolk the next day and slid into a slip at the public, i.e. free, docks in Portsmouth.
We were putting the boat away when a troop of three people about my age came down to the boat.
"What kind of boat is she?"
"Allied Seawind."
"Oh nice! My wife and I were looking at those. We ended up buying a Hans Christian 38."
I invited the three of them onboard and after a few beers we talked about where we had all been, and I mentioned my previous trip down the ICW that ended in Beaufort three years ago. One of the women (not in the married couple) looked surprised and said she too was in Beaufort at that time, living on a boat. I looked back at her and it struck me.
"Were you living with your boyfriend on a Grampian 26?"
"Yes..."
"And were you working at a coffee and wine bar?"
"...yes..."
"Wow. I've met you both before!"
We stared back at each other for a few seconds before those around us started commenting on how serindipidous and bizarre this whole thing was. We all went out in Norfolk together that night and did was cruisers do when they meet other cruisers: talk about cruising.
Zach was with us for the next two days, motoring through Coinjock and down to our friend Rogan's place on Roanoke Island. Rogan cooked us shepards pie which was one of the best meals I've ever had, but this was coming off a night of Spam and instant mashed potatoes (now a staple on Soveraine, thank you Chris). Pierce and I took her the rest of the way to Beaufort, motoring across a sunny and eerily calm Pamlico sound, and we arrived on Halloween. It was pretty strange being back there (three years exactly), but not a lot had changed, which was actually pretty nice.
The forecast for leaving Beaufort was getting more menacing with each update. Initially it was calling for 15-20 knots, gusting to 25 out of the northeast. It would be at our backs but the seas would be confused coming right off a strong southwesterly. This would be OK, I thought, they would settle out before we got too far from shore, or we could hug the coast. Tony, a friend from Newport, thought otherwise and suggested we go inside. He said it was one of the better parts of the ICW, and he was right.
Saturday morning changed that when the forecast was upgraded to winds gusting to 30 knots. I may have attempted it with a more experienced crew, but with just Pearce and I was basically single handing, at best. No offence to Pearce, he's enthusaistic and a quick learner, but throwing him, myself and this boat in the deep end this quickly is not something I'm willing to do.
We left Beaufort yesterday at dawn to motor down the ICW to Charleston. I checked the oil dipstick and to my delight it was not white nor the consistancy of butter.
We motored into Norfolk the next day and slid into a slip at the public, i.e. free, docks in Portsmouth.
We were putting the boat away when a troop of three people about my age came down to the boat.
"What kind of boat is she?"
"Allied Seawind."
"Oh nice! My wife and I were looking at those. We ended up buying a Hans Christian 38."
I invited the three of them onboard and after a few beers we talked about where we had all been, and I mentioned my previous trip down the ICW that ended in Beaufort three years ago. One of the women (not in the married couple) looked surprised and said she too was in Beaufort at that time, living on a boat. I looked back at her and it struck me.
"Were you living with your boyfriend on a Grampian 26?"
"Yes..."
"And were you working at a coffee and wine bar?"
"...yes..."
"Wow. I've met you both before!"
We stared back at each other for a few seconds before those around us started commenting on how serindipidous and bizarre this whole thing was. We all went out in Norfolk together that night and did was cruisers do when they meet other cruisers: talk about cruising.
Zach was with us for the next two days, motoring through Coinjock and down to our friend Rogan's place on Roanoke Island. Rogan cooked us shepards pie which was one of the best meals I've ever had, but this was coming off a night of Spam and instant mashed potatoes (now a staple on Soveraine, thank you Chris). Pierce and I took her the rest of the way to Beaufort, motoring across a sunny and eerily calm Pamlico sound, and we arrived on Halloween. It was pretty strange being back there (three years exactly), but not a lot had changed, which was actually pretty nice.
The forecast for leaving Beaufort was getting more menacing with each update. Initially it was calling for 15-20 knots, gusting to 25 out of the northeast. It would be at our backs but the seas would be confused coming right off a strong southwesterly. This would be OK, I thought, they would settle out before we got too far from shore, or we could hug the coast. Tony, a friend from Newport, thought otherwise and suggested we go inside. He said it was one of the better parts of the ICW, and he was right.
Saturday morning changed that when the forecast was upgraded to winds gusting to 30 knots. I may have attempted it with a more experienced crew, but with just Pearce and I was basically single handing, at best. No offence to Pearce, he's enthusaistic and a quick learner, but throwing him, myself and this boat in the deep end this quickly is not something I'm willing to do.
We left Beaufort yesterday at dawn to motor down the ICW to Charleston. I checked the oil dipstick and to my delight it was not white nor the consistancy of butter.
Comments
Your pictures make me so jealous because the bring back such warm memories of our yearly trek down to the Bahamas in the fall and back to New England in the spring, and unfortunately, we won't be making the trek on Tamure this year. However, we are leaving by car today and hope to catch up at some place on the way down. Let's keep in touch.
Scott Kuhner