Best route from Potomac river to Wilmington NC

[GBonjour]

Greetings to all. I am new at this so be merciful. I am an old (73 years) newby.
Oh boy! Anyway, I have purchased a 2007 Gemini 105MC and I need to take it from Breton Bay Maryland to Wilmington NC I have had the boat surveyed and am confident in its ability to make the trip. However, this will be my first go at a sailboat. I previously owned a 32 foot sport fisher which I lived aboard for three years on the west coast and used to go to the Coronado Islands as well as Catalina. So I am not totally ignorant but I am thinking that if I go outside of the ICW that I can go 24 hrs a day but inside maybe 8 or ten Maybe 50 miles a day?? I will have one for crew that has some sailing experience. My question is about what weather / wind to expect as well as currents and any helpful advice that you can give. What charts I need to purchase; best stops etc. I was thinking it might be an 8 day trip or maybe shorter on the outside. With that, I will stop and sort through your advice. Thank you in advance for your help.

[GBonjour]

Oops! My hull number is 971 and I am naming her Windriven Thanks Gaylyn

[Fiveslide]

I like the ICW for that trip, especially with you being new to sailing and new to the boat. Sail down the bay, pick up the ICW, sail a few hours in the pamlico sound when you get to it. Go out at Beaufort if you want and the weather allows.

My stops would probably go like this... Willoughby, coinjock, belhaven, Beaufort, then evaluate the weather and going outside.

Definitely get a current set of charts for the ICW and the bay, anywhere you plan on taking the boat.

[GBonjour]

Thank you for that. I plan on purchasing the needed charts but also was fishing for particular insights to what might be what to look out for in particular. Funny, but the closer this trip comes, the more excited I become. I helped one of the members here take his boat home from Key West to St. Pete and got to learn of the Gemini on that trip. He would come and help me do the same but it would be a considerable diversion for him. Lots of logistics involved in his travels etc. and I don't want to put that on him. He is a really nice guy. That said, I think I have a local lined up but if not, I will approach him. t Thank you for your input as I do listen and weigh all council.
Best regards
Gaylyn
S/V Windriven 2007 Hull 971

[Suijin]

I would go down the the ICW the whole way, or if you want to take a short offshore jaunt, "cut the crescent" from Beaufort to Wrightsville Beach which is an easy overnight sail. Leave late afternoon and you'll be arriving in daylight in the morning. Also allows you to avoid Camp Lejeune which can be a bit like spending a night in Apocalypse Now if you catch them during exercises. Beaufort is not a bad place to hang out waiting for a window, if only for the Backstreet Pub.

Active Captain (activecaptain.com. Registration and use is free) has a lot of great user generated information on the ICW because it is so heavily trafficked. You don't have draft issues, which is the big "gotcha" on the ICW, but do pay attention to bridge schedules. Some open on demand, others on a schedule.

Five gave you the obvious candidates for overnight stops, and there are a few nice anchorages along the way as well. It's worth planning each day carefully as you don't want to get caught in a stretch where there are no anchorages after dark. Your daily mileage will be dictated by hours of daylight, your speed, your timing of bridges, and your plan for where you're to going to tie up or drop the hook.

[Fiveslide]

With your draft, that stretch of ICW should be a breeze. 2013 was the last time I did that trip, if it seems I'm being vague, that is why, I don't have current experience. Perhaps someone with more recent knowledge will chime in. Check the bridge times on the northern section, between Norfolk and Pungo. Alligator river bridge, I think, will open hourly.

I'd be excited as well.

I haven't been on the Potomac since 2011, so can't help much there either.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

........... Alligator river bridge, I think, will open hourly............. .

That's not quite correct. The Alligator River Bridge opens on demand unless it has changed from a year a go. There are several other bridges though that you will have to pass through that are on a schedule. Some open on the hour and half hour and at least one opens only on the hour. Active Captain is your best source for bridge clearances and opening schedules. Also a couple of fixed bridges that aren't quite 65' at high tide.

If it were me, I would take the ICW but know that I have a smallish power boat, not a large sailboat.

Also, if you have the stamina or another operator, you can fun from dawn to dusk on the ICW. That's about 14 hours right about now.

[Stu Jackson]

There are separate chart guides for the ICW in addition to charts and Active Captain.

[SecondBase]

You'll have an amazing trip !

Looks like the Dismal Swamp route is scheduled to reopen end of September. Having said that it likely easier navigation anyway to not do that and instead follow Five's suggested route through Coinjock.

Expect the issues with the boat to reveal themselves over the first few days. If you have someone who knows the boat bring them along for the first day or two.

Pick up a couple crew from D.C. or Annapolis. The much maligned millennials generally jump at a chance to actually go do something in Real Life for little more than food and a return ticket. Some will even share expenses.

A couple caution areas: the Potomac-Chesapeake junction has its days. Choose your day to cross Albemarle carefully and bear in mind when you tie up in Coinjock that you may spend a few days waiting for a window.

Suggestion - when anchoring along the AICW use your 1.5 foot draft to protect yourself. Anchor defensively. Anchor in shallows way off the marked route - where other boats cannot even go. You don't want to be the unlit sailboat anchored ON the magenta line in the Alligator River.

Make time for the sailor's town of Oriental NC and enjoy a couple nights on the FREE TOWN DOCK.

P.S. For all this good advice from prior posters maybe throw up your best photo after the trip.

[SecondBase]

Oriental NC

[GBonjour]

Thanks to all for the input! I am evem more excited. I will put in at Wilmington and go through the boat to bring her up to ship shape standards and at some point in the not too distant future live aboard again. I love being on the water. It is in my blood. Thank you all! I will definatly post my pictures as it all plays out. I have spent many hours here reading and learning. Thanks again
Gaylyn 2007 hull 791 S/V Windriven

[Suijin]

GB, I should have emphasized earlier that I would not consider going outside the whole way if I were you. Unless you're headed much further south it does not make any sense to go outside from the Chesapeake and all the way around Hatteras. You can squeeze between the gulf stream and the cape, with favorable weather, but I would not do it first time out in a new-to-me boat unless I had to...and you don't. It's standard procedure for many folks to use the ICW to cut past the Cape unless they are headed way south, crossing outside the gulf stream and easting before turning south.

For the first part of the trip I would consider stopping the first night at Mill Creek in Ingram Bay. Absolutely stunning spot, then head down to Hampton. There is a municipal marina there that is very reasonable. That would allow you to set out early the next day and make it all the way to Coinjack if you're in a hurry or stop at Great Bridge (free tie up along the wall if there is a spot) or one of the horseshoes between Great Bridge and Coinjack.

If you're going to stop at marinas call them to make a reservation as soon as you know if you want to stop there as they can fill up quickly. Most of them are pretty small and just have linear docks. That said, you can make it all the way to Wilmington without spending a night at a marina if you plan your legs accordingly.

One of the joys of the ICW is the amount of wildlife that you encounter. It's virtually infested with porpoises, otters, pelicans, and more shore and wading birds than you can shake a stick at. I've even seen a couple of bears along the way. It cuts through some pretty remote areas.

[GBonjour]

Thank you ! Even though I am burning up vacation days, I still want to stop and smell the roses. Who knows if this will be the only time through. I think that every day is an opportunity to embrace the goodness set before us. I thank all who have responded for their kindness and direction. Just maybe as I learn, I can be of benefit to others as you are to me.
Gaylyn hull 971 S/V Windriven 2007 Gemini 105MC

[Gene :^)]

Shake down run to Deltaville VA, then--> Salt Ponds Marina Resort in Hampton VA --> Atlantic Yacht Basin @ Great Bridge Bridge --> Coinjock (great Steak dinner) --> etc...

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by Gene :^)

Shake down run to Deltaville VA

+1 Just to call out the likely reason behind Gene's excellent suggestion -

Deltaville is thick with marinas and a particularly well-equipped maintenance harbor.