Rounding Hatteras & On the Hard
We are now off Rodeless for about 6 weeks while she is on the hard to get some TLC at Zimmerman’s in Mathews, Virginia. We made our way to Mathews from St. Augustine with some friends that joined in Charleston and South Port to help us round Cape Hatteras.
Meg has really become a salty sailor over the past 6 months!! We left St. Augustine (an amazing historic place that you must visit) on a beautiful day with a forecast that was not to exceed 25kts. The wind however, as usual piped up to 40kts as we close reached up the coast to Brunswick, Georgia (about 90nm). After this harrowing sail, it was a great feeling to be safely at anchor next to a small conservation island populated with birds. Hoping that we would not wake up to “birdmegedon” on the deck, we fell asleep exhausted from a day of big wind and heavy seas.
The next day was marginally better as the wind clocked around to the south and we were able to beam reach in 35kts up to Beaufort – just north of Hilton Head, SC. It was another salty sail but very fast as we made 80nm in about 9hrs. Fortunately, we had another night on anchor in calm conditions. The final leg to Charleston was a broad reach in 30kts of wind with following seas, surfing down waves and regularly hitting 14-15kts SOG. We had fun as we made the final 60nm to Charleston.
Upon arrival, we were met by our very good friends from SeaLife – Jono, Helga and Kai Rabley. Jono loaned us his very cool surf van (remember Scooby-Doo’s van?) and we went out for a fun dinner . We docked at Charleston Municipal Marina for a few days to get a few boat jobs done and take a few days off the boat to stay with Jono and Helga at their beautiful beach house on Isle of Palm. These were our first nights off the boat since Christmas. Wow – what a change – sleeping without one eye open, not moving and listening to every boat noise – hoping that you don’t hear something different. Needless to say, it was a relaxing break and we had a great time walking the beach, having dinners with our good friends and exploring Charleston.
Helga had so much fun with us, that she decided to join us for the passage from Charleston to Mathews, Virginia. After a quick run in blustery conditions from Charleston to Southport, we welcomed Jon and Brynn Moody (Balance hull #12) onboard in Cape Fear. Our plan was to break this passage up into 3 days with only one overnight as we rounded Cape Hatteras. However, our plans changed as we saw forecasted winds during the daylight hours drop to 5-10kts. So, we took off from Cape Fear around 1900 bound for Cape Lookout (approx. 110nm) arriving at 10:00 the next morning. We had plenty of time to explore the lighthouse and have a walk on the beach, before departing again at 1900 that night to make our way to Cape Hatteras (about 80nm).
Cape Hatteras, known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, where over 600 ships have been wrecked during the past 400 years as the result of shallow shoals, storms, and war. So – we needed favorable south winds with following seas and wanted to round the Cape during daylight. For once, all these criteria for rounding the Cape were met – no hurricanes, shifting shoals or wars!! Then after a quick 150nm overnight run up the coast, we made it to Mathews early Sunday morning. We could finally relax a bit, knowing that we would be hauled out on Monday and we could take a much needed break from boat life.
Pictures tell a thousand words! Stay tuned for more from Rodeless in July when we get back onboard and continue the adventure as we explore the historic and beautiful Northeast Coast.
