How to get from Oriental NC to Cape Cod

[Sparx]

I like the idea of motoring the ICW to Norfolk for the sole purpose of shaking down the boat systems. When the departing Norfolk I would make a decision on the the Chesapeake/Delaware Bay route versus going outside.

As others have noted a boat can travel from Norfolk to Cape May in a few days of steady running. Catching the tide through the C&D canal and Delaware Bay will add a half day of waiting for favorable tide. There will be bugs and less wind. Services and distractions abound in the Chesapeake. So this inside route will be available and is a matter of choice when the boat leaves Norfolk.

If the boat is running well and the weather is good my preference would be head outside.

The Chesapeake/Delaware Bay route was blistering hot and nearly still wind when we departed last July 1. Outside was a little more wind but 10 degrees cooler.. .and 100 miles shorter.

[ranger58sb]

I don't think I'd let weather or bugs scare me out of the ICW for delivery of a new-to-you boat. This from a usually-non-sailor, though...

From Oriental to Portsmouth, there are actually several "big water" areas that should be OK for sailing, depending on winds of course. Those would include the Neuse River, Pamlico River, Pungo River, Alligator River, Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound... and if winds aren't cooperative, those are all wide enough so critters might not notice your passage.

And then the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays are ditto all that.

By the time you get to Cape May, you'd likely be much more confident in the boat...

-Chris

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by SV.StellaMaris

I hear you. Which way would you go out?

I see you have a Bristol 35.5. We had a Bristol 22 (actually still do) and have taken her all throughout Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay. Great little boat. I dreamed of getting a bigger Bristol but then found the Caliber.

The Caliber is a good boat. I sailed the Bristol home from Pandanaram and the boat wasn't in great condition. No problems though. You'll work out anything that goes wrong, just pick some half way decent weather. It's a short hop and plenty of places to bail.

Go out the Beaufort Inlet and sail a short 7 miles SSE to Lookout Bight. Visit the Cape Lookout light. Beautiful beaches there and a park. When you are done there go around Cape Lookout Shoals, around Cape Hatteras, and north to Block Island. It'll be a nice shakedown sail. You could do the Chesapeake if you like heat, skeeters, no wind.

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by flyingfin

Old boat, new to you. All hidden problems will appear in your first few days of cruising. You would be best to marina hop you way north on the ICW, shore power to run a couple of fans will handle most night time temperatures to allow you to sleep, but if it gets too hot, grab an Uber to a nearby motel. You will probably already be in an Uber running around to find materials for repairs at nearby hardware or auto parts store.

Uber, motels, marinas? Tough it out on anchor and enjoy the trip. All of the ICW is enjoyable.And most of the anchorages are great. As are offshore jaunts. Deal with problems as they occur, it is part of the cruising life after careful thought and preparation beforehand which you are obviously doing.

Enjoy and do not over worry.

Jim SV GAIA

[scottydaum]

No to the Disamal Swamp route, yes to the Virginai Cut Route.
This offers possible stops in Oriental, Bellhaven, etc. Get comfortable on the boat before going outside.
It may be hot, there may be some bugs but this time of year, with the extra light you can run long days.
I tend to run a lot at night bit I have done it a lot, and most folks are not comfortable doing it.
One person mentioned the C&D Canal. I have never done that, as I always come into the Bay at Norfolk, then fuel, and feed at Little Creek before going thru the Bridge and outside.
I am always solo, so that begins a pretty long outside hop, and little sleep.
I have gone around the Outer Banks, AT NIGHT, and SOLO from Beaufort and I do not recommend that. The Outer Banks are a re different sort of place with convergence of the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream. Only place I have ever had waves hitting all for points of the boat at the same time....lol Also has Micro Climate that may not be revealed on NOAA Weather.
You can also take the route via Manteo then the Virginia Cut.

[Lodbrog1]

July 1st two years ago Rhum lined from Norfolk to Gay Head, Marthas Vineyard and hung a right to Ntkt catching the tide a couple of hours a tad late in a great 20-30 kt Soueastly 2 days 3hrs. Pick your weather and fly, Bon Vente

[sanibel sailor]

Some years ago I crewed on a boat from Deltaville VA to Cape Cod via Cape Charles. It was early July. I was not navigating but believe we took the rhumb line as schedule was tight. No wind, we motored the whole way and amused ourselves but killing the biting black flies that accompanied us every bit of the way even offshore. Cockpit floor just littered with them with live ones feasting on their dead brethren. Isn't just the ICW, isn't just the swamp.

[westsailwill]

[QUOTE=Sparx;3164350]I like the idea of motoring the ICW to Norfolk for the sole purpose of shaking down the boat systems. When the departing Norfolk I would make a decision on the the Chesapeake/Delaware Bay route versus going outside.

As others have noted a boat can travel from Norfolk to Cape May in a few days of steady running. Catching the tide through the C&D canal and Delaware Bay will add a half day of waiting for favorable tide. There will be bugs and less wind. Services and distractions abound in the Chesapeake. So this inside route will be available and is a matter of choice when the boat leaves Norfolk.

If the boat is running well and the weather is good my preference would be head outside. (QUOTE)

At this point outside is definitely faster, but if you have a few extra days the Chesapeake is worth the adventure. Great anchorages abound, and if you’ve never sailed into Annapolis, that alone is worth a day or two.👍

[Oohla]

If the engine hoses are more than 2 years old you might think about picking up a set of spares. A burst hose is a bummer.

[JBBRichmond]

I know NC, VA and the Bay; good to do shakedown in the bay. Avoid Dismal Swamp Canal; they don't call it dismal for nothing, and the bugs will consume you. Don't even think of going through either Ocracoke or Hatteras inlet; far too much current, shoaling, and dangerous for you. Even if you go through Oregon Inlet, call the coast guard at Oregeon Inlet station to get local knowledge.
Have a nice cruise! Congrats on the new boat.

[doublewide]

Albemarle and Chesapeake AKA Virginia Cut vs Dismal Swamp?
First, and not to be pedantic, the latter is a misnomer. It is a high wetland, not a swamp. You lock up 8 ft to the Dismal Swamp and then back down 8 ft at the other end.
That said, though not technically a swamp, the DS is long, narrow, straight, boring, and shallow, with the occasional overhanging branch lower than your masthead (ask me how I know.) It is also beautiful, wooded, and quiet. And Elizabeth City offers a free overnight tie-up at the college.
Try them both. If you are like me, you will decide to make the Virginia Cut your usual route, while recognizing the charm of the Dismal Swamp.

[BlackHeron]

A 10 year old engine with 20 hours on it will likely give you much more trouble than 2 year old engine with 10,000 hours on it.

Bank on it. You'll likely be rebuilding the entire fuel system, injectors, injector pump, lift pump, maybe even tearing the fuel tank apart and having it cleaned and the fuel polished or just pumped into the fuel recycling truck. Not to mention oil seals leaking all over that never got broken in properly, water pumps messed up salt crusted in the heat exchanger, rust issues, maybe even glazed cylinder walls and stuck rings. Old low-hours engines can be serious bad news. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt.

I wouldn't take such a boat offshore until that engine proved itself for a couple of hundred hours first. Do the ICW trip. It won't be that bad. Middle of June right now and we are just fine, moving slowly up from Beaufort SC to Oriental, NC. Dropped the hook just a couple of hours ago and will be staying through the weekend.

It has been a little rainy and stormy lately, but the heat isn't too bad. July shouldn't be too much worse. Much cooler if you anchor out every night. Marinas are stuffy floating trailer parks. Unless you have a good AC and can plug in to run it every night I'd avoid marinas and enjoy all the many scenic and free anchorages up the ICW. Even on the Chesapeake and Delaware route.

[SV.StellaMaris]

I wanted to thank everyone who gave information, encouragements and cautions for our trip north from New Bern, NC to Cape Cod, MA. It was an amazing journey, with many unexpected challenges, opportunities to become better sailors, and more than a few lucky breaks.

As expected, we did have some shakedown challenges with our engine - but not at all what we expected. The first day out we ended up in Deaton’s Yacht Service in Oriental. We spent a week there while they rebuilt our alternator pullies and fixed some installation errors left from earlier mechanics. I can’t say enough positive about Deaton’s - nicest people and the best possible service. While we were there a hurricane blew through and they pulled our boat out and made sure she was safe. Once we left Deaton’s our engine never faltered. They also gave us some great local advice on route planning.

We chose to take the inside route to Norfolk, via the Pungo River - Alligator River Canal, with stops in River Dunes and Bellhaven. We outpaced an incoming storm for most of the Alligator River, but as we neared the turnstile bridge it roared overhead. We slipped through in blinding rain and whipping winds to turn directly into the calm of the tiny roadside Aligator River Marina. (I’ve attached a pic of the moment before the storm.)

Our sail across Albemarle Sound the next day was much more leisurely until we went to roll in our headsail and the line parted from the drum. But my husband scrambled to the bow and rolled the sail in by hand. We motored to Coinjock and learned how to re-build our furler there. :-) We had two riggers work on that furler in New Bern - the first cut the line too short and the second, who replaced the short line, didn’t tie an adequate knot. But we figured it out. And will do it ourselves next time.

One long and very interesting day brought us to Rebel Marina just past the Naval yard. Our offshore crew (our nephews) met us there. We headed out the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel toward Block Island the next day. Although our first days out were beautiful, the first night we ran into a thunderstorm with heavy rain and winds. Our young strong crew were both sea sick but we carried on. Predict Wind showed a clear horizon and the next day was a beautiful if bumpy sail with some mixed up seas.

But late that afternoon NOAA forcast another storm with cyclone like winds and more thunder. We were too far out to turn in and the storm appeared worse inland, so we stayed out. We spent the night riding out the storm in the company of six commercial fishing boats, following each other in a circle as the winds did indeed seem to spiral around us. I came out of it proud of our boat and grateful for her seaworthiness. We had a few intense moments, but I never doubted the ability of our boat to see us through.

But our two younger crew had enough. So we brought them ashore in Atlantic City on day three. My husband and I rested for a day then headed out on our own. We flew up the Jersey coast on a tidal current and neared the entrance to New York harbor. We were making good time and the weather finally seemed to be with us, so we continued on to Block Island along the outer shore of Long Island. We caught another current north and arrived at the cut at Montauk at slack tide. We had finally made it to Block Island and what felt like our home waters. Another day to Sippican Harbor and we were indeed home!

Funny thing. I was so worried about mosquitos, but never saw one. Black flies, however followed us up the Pungo River. Their bites hurt and bled, making them far worse than mosquitos, until we perfected our defensive manuvers and they disappeared. We stayed in marinas and plugged a portable AC in every night. So our ICW was far more pleasant than I expected. I’m looking forward to doing it again - with better weather!

[GreenWave]

Great job and thanks for sharing the story.

[dfelsent]

Love the story. Thanks!