Floriana

Leaving Belhaven early and heading for Oriental, North Carolina.

Partenza di mattina presto da Belhaven per Oriental, Nord Carolina.

Predominantly northerly winds allowed us to sail at a comfortable 6.8 knots through the Bay River and down the Goose Neck Creek Island Canal. Here we saw shrimp boats tied up to their docks. I quickly suggested to Claudio that we stop there and buy some fresh shrimp from the boat captains. He gave me this “Are you crazy?” kind of look and kept going. No shrimp tonight!

I venti prevalentemente provenienti dal nord ci hanno permesso di navigare a 6,8 nodi attraverso il Bay River e lungo il Goose Neck Creek Island Canal. Qui abbiamo incontrato pescherecci specializzati nella pesca dei gamberi. Ho subito suggerito a Claudio di accostarsi ad uno di questi per comprare gamberi freschi. Alla mia richiesta, mi ha dato il tipico sguardo come per dire “Sei pazzo?” e ignorandomi completamente, prosegue per la tratta. Niente gamberetti stasera!

Heading south on the Pamlico River, we entered the Neuse River. Our friend Bob suggested we reserve a slip at the Oriental Marina & Inn for the night. But the inner harbor was full that night and they could not accommodate us until the following morning. After referencing charts and the ICW Waterway Guide, we decided we would anchor for the night in South River. Typically, the South River is exposed to north winds, but we headed further into the river and found a cove that was protected and picturesque. Or so it seemed.

Dirigendoci a sud sul fiume Pamlico, siamo entrati nel fiume Neuse. Il nostro amico Bob ci ha suggerito di prenotare un posto barca all’Oriental Marina & Inn per la notte. Ma l’ormeggiatore ci comunica via radio che il marina era al completo. Dopo aver consultato le carte nautiche, abbiamo deciso di ancorarci per la notte a South Rive, alla sponda opposta al marina. In genere, il South River non offre grande protezione ai venti del nord, ma risalendo il fiume per qualche miglio abbiamo trovato una rientransa protetta e pittoresca. O almeno così sembrava….

ROOKIE MISTAKE #2: When looking for an anchorage, and the wind is coming from the north at 20/25 knots with gusts to 30 knots, and you don’t see any other boats in that picturesque cove, you need to ask yourself WHY? On land, something as logical as noticing you’re the only car parked on one side of the road while everyone else is parked on the other side, would make you immediately think, “I’m parking over there too!”. But somehow, on the water everything seems benign and safe and pristine …. until you’re anchored! Only AFTER the anchor is firmly and solidly dug into the mud do you realize that this anchorage is in fact completely exposed to the northerlies and that it’s going to be another uncomfortable night in 30 knot gusts! The only positive thing about our chosen anchorage area was that there was plenty of deep water so we could let out 90 feet of chain and be secure that the anchor would not drag. I woke up at dawn feeling rested and I didn’t notice (too much) the gusts of wind during the night.

ERRORE di valutazione #2: Quando si cerca un ancoraggio, e il vento arriva da nord a 20/25 nodi con raffiche a 30 nodi, e non vedi altre barche in quella pittoresca rientransa, devi domandarti PERCHÉ? Qualche dubbio ti viene pero, imparando dalla prima lezione, ormeggiamo in acque profonde lasciando 30 metri di catena per assicurare una notte tranquilla. Nonostante i nostri quasi 40 anni d'esperienza, in mare c'e SEMPRE qualcosa da imparare!!