After a month away from the podcast, we are finally back, and we have a lot of miles, mishaps, and maritime adventures to catch up on.

When we last checked in, we were enjoying a family vacation in Myrtle Beach. Since then, we have been moving steadily north aboard SeaDAN, traveling from the Carolinas all the way to Portsmouth, Virginia. Our goal was to reach the Chesapeake by the end of June.

For once, we were ahead of schedule.

Of course, getting here involved a damaged propeller, a dead battery, multiple soft groundings, gusty anchorages, military firing ranges, one unfortunate encounter between a dock line and a propeller, a terrifying thunderstorm, a rough crossing, several bridges, a lock, and some of the best fireworks we have ever seen.

You know, normal boating stuff.

The Propeller Surprise

Before leaving Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, we decided it would be smart to have a diver inspect and clean the bottom of SeaDAN. Nobody had looked at it since the boat was out of the water in Jacksonville last October, and Chris had been having trouble consistently getting her up on plane.

The diver returned with good news and bad news.

The good news was that the bottom was clean.

The bad news was that one of our propellers had a ding in it.

Our best guess is that it happened during our soft grounding before Hells Gate. The Intracoastal Waterway does not offer much room for creative navigation. Sometimes being only a foot or two outside the channel is enough to introduce the boat to the bottom.

Thankfully, the diver could remove the propellers without hauling SeaDAN out of the water. His family helped take them to Wilmington for repairs, and the entire operation delayed us by only four days.

Not bad, considering the alternative.

Attempt Number Two: The Battery Says No

With the repaired propellers back in place, we prepared to leave on June 5. Chris turned the ignition, and the starboard engine responded with absolutely nothing useful.

The large starter battery was no longer holding a charge. Fortunately, Chris had a spare 12-volt deep-cycle battery aboard and was able to temporarily connect it and get the engine running.

We finally pulled away around 1:30 p.m. and entered a Friday-afternoon parade of powerboats, jet skis, kayaks, and seemingly every other floating object in South Carolina.

Rather than fight the traffic all day, we made the 37-mile trip to Southport, North Carolina, arriving around 5:30 p.m.

The wind made backing into the slip interesting. Chris got the stern between the pilings on the first attempt, but the wind grabbed the bow before the boat was fully in position. He pulled back out, reset, and nailed it on the second attempt.

No damage, no yelling, and only one redo. We are counting that as a win.

Southport Hospitality

We quickly fell in love with Southport.

Dockhands Roger and Nick went out of their way to help us, and the marina allowed us to stay through Monday while weekend boat traffic passed.

We also met two local AGLCA legends, Robert and Kay Creech. They keep an eye out for Loopers arriving in Southport and invited us to spend an evening on their porch.

We talked for hours, shared stories, laughed, and reviewed a detailed presentation about the route from Southport to Norfolk. Their advice gave us a much better idea of what to expect during the next portion of our trip.

Chris also used the downtime to change the engine oil. SeaDAN has a Reverso oil-change system, which pumps the old oil out and pulls the new oil in. The hardest part is convincing the filters to cooperate.

On Monday morning, we prepared to leave again.

The battery still said no.

The temporary battery had done its job, but the original starter battery was finished. These batteries weigh around 120 pounds, so replacing one in the engine room is not exactly a one-person project.

Robert recommended To You Marine Services. Jason and Adam delivered a replacement, wrestled it into position, and got everything running. We departed only about an hour later than planned.

By boating standards, that practically counts as leaving on time.

Windy Nights and Dolphin Welcomes

Our next stop was an anchorage near Wrightsville Beach. It was a short, pleasant run, and SeaDAN even got up on plane as we crossed Cape Fear!

The anchorage was beautiful, but gusts reached nearly 28 miles per hour. We installed the anchor bridle and spent the night listening for alarms.

The anchor held perfectly.

We also filmed a video showing how we attach the bridle. Please forgive the wind noise. We are boaters, not a professional television crew.

The following day, we traveled about 40 miles to Mile Hammock Bay. On the way in, we experienced another soft grounding near the New River. We were following established tracks, but shoaling had pushed farther into the channel.

Fortunately, it was only sand, and we were quickly moving again.

When we arrived at the anchorage, a pod of approximately six dolphins was feeding around the boat. It was a much better welcome committee than the sandbar.

Mile Hammock Bay sits near Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corp military training area, and by evening eight to ten boats had gathered in the anchorage. We enjoyed a calm evening, watched television, played Five Crowns, and settled into another peaceful night on the hook.

Bridges, Currents, and a Live Firing Range

The next morning, we had to time our departure around The Onslow Bridge opening. We arrived early and spent several minutes fighting the current while waiting.

After passing through, we encountered a particularly comforting sign:

CAUTION: LIVE MILITARY FIRING RANGE. DO NOT PROCEED IF LIGHTS ARE FLASHING.

We had checked the schedule before leaving, so we knew no firing was planned. Still, seeing old tanks and military vehicles positioned as targets on the barrier island was slightly unsettling.

Nothing encourages careful radio communication quite like the possibility of becoming part of a military exercise.

Beaufort During the Big Rock Tournament

After navigating past Swansboro and Morehead City, we arrived in Beaufort during the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.

We found a slip at Homer Smith Docks and Marina, although getting there required navigating confusing channel markers, dodging a fleet of small sailboats, and backing into a slip in 14- to 16-mile-per-hour winds.

Once docked, we headed into town.

Everyone recommended dinner at Aqua, but first we stopped at the nearby Backstreet Pub. Our bartender, Trisha, had been serving drinks for more than 30 years and was one of the funniest people we met during the trip. She had us crying with laughter.

The entire town was discussing a massive 919.9-pound blue marlin that had broken the North Carolina state record. With millions of dollars in tournament prize money at stake, we could understand why the anglers who had not yet gone fishing looked slightly discouraged.

The Dock Line Incident

Leaving Beaufort the next morning produced one of those boating stories that becomes funny only after everything is over.

The wind was blowing hard as we prepared to leave. Deb staged the dock lines aboard while dockhands helped release the bow and spring lines. Chris pulled away cleanly and began maneuvering toward the channel.

Then a dockhand yelled, “You’re dragging a line!”

Deb initially thought he meant something behind the dinghy. When she looked over the side, she realized one of the spring lines had fallen into the water.

She tried to pull it aboard.

It was tight.

That meant it had already reached the propeller.

Chris stopped the boat, the propeller chewed through the line, and Deb was able to retrieve what remained. We cautiously continued while asking the question every boater loves to hear:

“Do you feel a vibration?”

Thankfully, everything appeared to be functioning normally.

A Resort-Like Break at River Dunes

After crossing the wide Neuse River and surviving a massive wake from a passing sportfishing boat, we entered the narrow channel leading to River Dunes Marina near Oriental.

River Dunes felt more like a resort than a marina. It had a beautiful pool, an excellent restaurant, and exactly the kind of atmosphere we needed after five consecutive travel days.

We stayed an extra night, relaxed, and let SeaDAN remain in one place for a moment.

It was glorious.

Belhaven and the Storm That Came Out of Nowhere

Our next stop was Belhaven Marina, about 37 miles away.

Storms were predicted for later in the afternoon, so we departed at 9:00 a.m., which qualifies as extremely early in our household.

The trip across the Neuse, Pamlico, and Pungo rivers was calm and beautiful. Belhaven itself was a charming, sleepy little town that felt like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

The marina consisted largely of long concrete bulkheads rather than traditional slips. Its owner, Ken, had cashed in his retirement account to purchase the property and had spent the past two years building a welcoming stop for boaters.

The following afternoon, the sky changed.

Within minutes, a severe storm hit with reported winds of approximately 67 miles per hour. Rain came down so hard that we could not see SeaDAN from the marina office. Lightning flashed in every direction, hail fell, flags and canvas tore loose, and boats slammed against pilings.

One boat’s rub rail caught above a piling and was ripped away, leaving a hole in the side.

Around ten people huddled inside the marina office/bar watching the radar while water pushed beneath the door.

The worst of the storm lasted about 30 minutes. SeaDAN escaped without damage, but it was easily one of the scariest weather events we have experienced aboard.

Once the storm passed, we recovered in the most appropriate way possible: pizza at The Tavern at Jack’s Neck.

The Long Run to Coinjock

Weather dictated our next move. Tuesday offered the best opportunity to cross the Albemarle Sound, so we prepared for an 87-mile run from Belhaven to Coinjock.

We left at 7:00 a.m.

Yes, seven.

In the morning.

The Alligator River was already rough, which did not inspire confidence about conditions on the sound. We requested an opening at the Alligator River Bridge, provided our Coast Guard documentation number, and headed into open water.

The Albemarle Sound was rough, with two- to three-foot waves coming directly from the north. Fortunately, we could point SeaDAN’s bow into them, but spray repeatedly covered the windshield.

Deb filled a bucket with fresh water and rinsed the salt away so Chris could see.

After roughly an hour and a half of pounding through the waves, we reached calmer water and continued toward Coinjock.

Our overnight stop was a private dock at a beautiful home owned by Greg and Mary. They helped us tie up, adjusted our fenders, and offered to drive us into town for supplies.

Greg is also developing a new marina called the Landings of Coinjock, with plans for dockage, fuel, a restaurant, a ship store, and dry-stack storage. Boaters passing through the area should keep an eye on the project.

The established Coinjock Marina is already one of the best-known stops along this section of the ICW, and it sounds as though travelers may soon have another great option.

Racing Toward Norfolk

Our original plan was to stop at Atlantic Yacht Basin before reaching Norfolk.

Greg and Mary changed that plan when they told us about Sail250 Virginia, the enormous gathering of tall ships celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

More than 60 ships representing countries from around the world were scheduled to arrive in the Chesapeake region.

We called Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth and asked whether we could arrive two days early.

Caitlin quickly responded and told us to come Wednesday. Friday would bring approximately 50 arriving boats and substantially more chaos.

We did not need to be told twice.

Bridges, Bridges, a Lock, and More Bridges

The final 50-mile trip took seven and a half hours.

The distance was not the problem. The bridges were.

Several highway and railroad bridges opened only at scheduled times. Both railroad bridges, which are normally open when trains are not passing, were closed when we arrived.

At the Great Bridge Bridge, we arrived around 12:30 p.m. and hovered in the current until its 1:00 p.m. opening.

Immediately afterward, we entered a lock.

It was Deb’s first lock, and thankfully it raised or lowered the boat by only about two feet. Compared with everything else we had experienced during the month, it was wonderfully uneventful.

At approximately 3:20 p.m., we reached Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth.

We had made it to the Chesapeake ahead of schedule.

Tall Ships and Fireworks in Norfolk

The next day, we climbed to the highest point on SeaDAN, unfolded our West Marine chairs, and watched the Sail250 boat parade.

It was incredible.

Tall ships, military vessels, training ships, and other vessels representing nations from around the world passed directly in front of us. Some stretched several hundred feet and carried towering masts filled with sails. Several of the ships also had their costumed crew standing on the lines, high in the air!

Visitors could later tour many of the vessels and see what life aboard these ships was like.

The weekend also included fireworks on both Friday and Saturday nights. Our marina was positioned close to the launching barge, so the fireworks exploded almost directly overhead.

They were the best fireworks either of us had ever seen.

Sail250 brought more than 60 ships from 20 nations to Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay region, so accidentally arriving early turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip.

What Comes Next?

Now we have a decision to make.

We could continue north and attempt to reach the Great Lakes, but we have a granddaughter arriving in mid-September. Pushing north would mean moving quickly, and reaching the Great Lakes would eventually require hauling SeaDAN out of the water, winterizing her, and preparing her for freezing conditions.

The other option is to spend the summer exploring the Chesapeake Bay.

Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and countless smaller destinations are all within reach. Many boaters spend years exploring the Chesapeake and still do not see everything.

At the moment, slowing down sounds pretty appealing.

Norfolk is also near the northern limit where we could reasonably keep SeaDAN in the water during winter before continuing the Great Loop next year.

We have not made the final decision yet, but we will share it during the next podcast.

Until then, we are celebrating the fact that we made it from Myrtle Beach to Norfolk with two functioning engines, repaired propellers, an intact boat, and only one slightly shorter dock line.

That feels like success!