"2000 November 14-15 Passing through Camp LeJeune" Sneads Ferry Travelogue by grandmaR

Bogue in the rain

It starts to rain. Gentle at first and then hard. Bob turns on the navigation lights and slacks off the speed as it is harder to see. We went under the Emerald Isle fixed bridge at 11:00, and right afterwards were passed by a J42 named TARTLET from FL.

The current is now about 0.4 knots against us. Our speed is down to 5.2 mph (4.6 knots). There is a boat following close behind us that does not seem to want to pass. It has blue topsides, and proves to be an English boat named FORCE 8.

Onslow Beach bridge opening

We feel really sorry for them in their aft cockpit with no bimini or cover. They look very cold and miserable in their foul weather gear out in the rain.

(We have discovered that the ensign that the boats from England fly is a red flag with the Union Jack in the corner, and not the regular Union Jack flag. So boats that we thought were from Bermuda were really English. The actual Bermuda boats have an additional insignia in the middle of the red part of the flag. A Union Jack with the insignia is call a 'defaced' ensign.)

Force 8 goes through the Onslow Beach bridge

We wait for the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge together, and we let them go through first so we can follow for awhile.

The Onslow Beach bridge is run by the Marine Corps. We saw a sign 5 miles back warning us about unexploded ammunition. We go through the bridge at 1:30. MARYLAND YANKEE II also passed us at the bridge.

Bridge tender's building with Marine C. insignia

The sun came out and we put the side curtains up to dry off a little and also turned off the navigation lights. Some rain from off the bimini onto the computer box, and I wiped it off.

The SSCA burgee has the top snap broken, so I go out and take both burgees on that side down until Bob can replace the snap.

Birds sit on the Onslow Beach Bridge fenders

We turn into an artificial dredged anchorage (still on Marine Corps property - Camp Lejeune) at mile 244 and anchor at 2:30. We have traveled 44.8 miles at 6.1 mph, and have gone a total of 345 nautical miles.

GEMINI and MARYLAND YANKEE II are here already, and FORCE 8 has also come in with us. Bob decides to anchor on the inner edge of the dredged area, and we have considerable difficulty because we start out in 10 feet of water and as he lets out the anchor chain, we are blown out onto the shallow part and end up in 5 feet of water. Bob resets the anchor once, and then just decides to put out less scope (less chain).

Evening

Eventually, we are joined by POPEYE, MAGIC CRISTALLINE (both French boats that we were anchored with before at mile 102 before the Alligator Pungo Canal), JOY B, and SANTA MARIA (came from Beaufort with us), EPHEMERAL (came into Elizabeth City with us), DENALI ROSE, and KAYWANA(another British boat I think). A trawler named THE TRAVELER came in late and anchored so that he was on top of our anchor.

It is cold tonight, and we sleep under a blanket and a quilt, and leave a couple of oil lamps burning for the extra heat more than the light. Since this is an anchorage (so designated on the chart) we don't put on our anchor light - as we also didn't last night in Beaufort.

The battery operated light we have has gotten too dim for me to read my notes after sundown. My computer screen is brighter but hard to read by.

Houses along the ICW

THE TRAVELER left before 6, which takes the question of what to do about them parked on our anchor away. DENALI ROSE, and SANTA MARIA left early too (it is really illegal for them to take the dog to shore here - no civilians are to land), and POPEYE and FORCE 8 left about 6:30. We were underway before 7.

We see SANTA MARIA sideways in front of us in the channel. Were they aground? I don't know. We came up to them and followed. POPEYE is ahead.

I saw two dolphin in the channel just before a shrimp trawler passed us!!!

The Intercoastal Guide says they are often seen here, but I didn't expect to be able to do it. Later we got quite blase about it.

Next: Wrightsville Beach