Day 53, Monday, October 26th
Entrance of the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal to Belhaven
Track on ViewRanger
The wind was blowing cool and strong in the morning through the anchorage - I decided to give the engine a rest and sail as much as possible again today. The wind was strong enough to go with the foresail alone, and I got to the entrance of the canal very soon. The northern edge of the canal is dense with trees that were effectively shielding me from the wind, so at that point I started the engine and motor sailed the rest of the canal. At the end of the canal is a bridge that is famous for having one the lowest vertical clearances of the bridges on the ICW - 65 feet (plus minus a few inches depending on the wind-driven water level). There aren't normal tides in these waters. Some boats with taller masts get through here by heeling the boat by loading one side with heavy stuff, or poling the main sail out with a heavy load (like a person for example). Caprice mast tip is about 43 feet over water level, so I don't have to worry about that.
Once out of the canal I raised the mainsail, too, and was able to sail at a great pace. The weather wasn't pretty, but the winds were favorable and just the right strength.
And I was glad to see that today other sailboats followed suit and used their sails, too. Good for them!
I found an anchorage in a little cove just south of Belhaven and spent the afternoon and night there.
Track on ViewRanger
The wind was blowing cool and strong in the morning through the anchorage - I decided to give the engine a rest and sail as much as possible again today. The wind was strong enough to go with the foresail alone, and I got to the entrance of the canal very soon. The northern edge of the canal is dense with trees that were effectively shielding me from the wind, so at that point I started the engine and motor sailed the rest of the canal. At the end of the canal is a bridge that is famous for having one the lowest vertical clearances of the bridges on the ICW - 65 feet (plus minus a few inches depending on the wind-driven water level). There aren't normal tides in these waters. Some boats with taller masts get through here by heeling the boat by loading one side with heavy stuff, or poling the main sail out with a heavy load (like a person for example). Caprice mast tip is about 43 feet over water level, so I don't have to worry about that.
Once out of the canal I raised the mainsail, too, and was able to sail at a great pace. The weather wasn't pretty, but the winds were favorable and just the right strength.
And I was glad to see that today other sailboats followed suit and used their sails, too. Good for them!
I found an anchorage in a little cove just south of Belhaven and spent the afternoon and night there.
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