Pamlico and Neuse Rivers, NC

On Saturday, we left the Slade Creek anchorage at 8:15 and right away were doing 5.5 knots in a N 15 knot wind.  Not bad.  The wind picked up as we crossed the wide Pamlico River so were sailing along nicely and had the wind behind us through the narrows.  As we approached the 65-foot Hobucken Bridge, our AIS alerted us that a vessel was also approaching the bridge coming in the other direction.  We looked ahead but could not see it as it hadn't turned the bend in the river.  We pulled up more data and found it was a tug pushing a barge, and since it was going faster than we were, we figured it would cross under the bridge slightly before us.  Still Dave tacked a bit to slow us down though the slight current was pushing us along.  The tug slowed down as it approached the bridge, too, but crossed under in time before we got there. 

As this was happening, however, we noticed a hefty trawler motoring up behind us and throwing a huge wake.  We hailed them on the radio, but no response.  Because our mast (plus antennas) clearance is about 64 feet and maybe six inches, a coincidental wake from a passing boat at the wrong time could jam our mast into the underside of the bridge.  (Having heard one horror story of this scenario that caused a lot of damage, we were on alert.)  We passed a huge sign that said "NO WAKE ZONE," so hopefully the trawler would slow down.  I took the helm and Dave, wearing his bright yellow foulies, stood up on the back of the stern seat and motioned for the boat to slow down.   It didn't much, still throwing a big wake right off of our stern.  I was focusing on missing the center lights that hang slightly below the bottom edges of the bridge on both sides so was going under at an angle.  Judging by the angry looks, the middle-aged couple in the trawler obviously did not understand our situation.  We didn't care.  Thankfully we passed under the bridge without touching.  But what I immediately realized is that I was traveling at a steeper angle to the shore than I'd intended and, in essence, had cut off the trawler from passing us.  Ooops.  Oh, well.  If I hadn't, they may have passed us right before the bridge and churned out a big wake causing us to bounce into the bridge undergirders.  They sped off in a huff.  We sailed off in a sigh of relief. 

The rest of the sail was fantastic, our best day yet. We went back into the Pamlico Sound and into Neuse River, which the guide book describes as some of "the meanest water on the ICW." With a combo of luck and planning, we timed it well, often hitting 8 knots. Chilly but a wonderful ride to one of our favorite towns -- Oreintal, North Carolina.

Dave says, "C'mon, Bahamas!" at the end.