When the stories about COVID-19 first reached us in February, we were enjoying life at Cambridge Cay in Exuma Park. China had an issue, but the US hadn’t reacted as yet. As park hosts we organized one of many sand bar happy hours, not realizing that it would be the last time we would be within six feet of another human.
Even after COVID-19 reports on cases in America reached us, the problem seemed so distant. We figured we would be fine if we just stayed where we were. Pretty much socially distanced (other than the happy hours!) without really trying very hard. But as we learned more, we realized that even in the Bahamas we weren’t necessarily safe. The virus would get here sooner or later.
Then the first confirmed case of the virus showed up in Nassau and everything changed. Overnight Exuma Park “closed”, meaning moorings and anchorages were available, but visitors count not enter the headquarters office. Payments had to be made online and moorings were assigned by VHF radio. Rumors of what might happen next in terms of closings and expulsions of foreigners were disconcerting. We needed to decide if we were going to stay in the Bahamas for the duration or come back to the US. If we did come back, where would we go?
Everyone’s situation is different, but we decided to leave the Bahamas immediately and get back to our home port in Newport, RI as quickly as possible. We did not believe we had been infected in the Bahamas and planned to practice social distancing while we traveled. We were concerned that if we did get sick at some point prior to getting back to Newport, from the virus or anything else, we we would be at the mercy of either the Bahamian medical system or some stateside ER facility. And we both have non-serious, but chronic medical conditions that need somewhat regular medical intervention. Difficult to handle these issues away from “home”. And hard to shelter in place when we are full time liveaboards with no land home. So, right or wrong, we chose to travel back to Newport, or as close as we could get.
Our plan was to anchor out as much as possible, using marinas only as necessary for fuel, provisioning or to hide from bad weather. There are also a few places on the ICW where decent anchorages are few and far between and a marina is much more efficient for maximizing distance traveled per day. We were hoping to find some good in all this, checking out as many outdoor nature areas as possible.
Our normal route from the Bahamas to Newport is mostly offshore in a two day hop to Charleston, SC and then to Morehead City, NC. We usually travel inside on the ICW from Morehead City to the Chesapeake Bay, then offshore to Newport. But the weather gods were not favoring that approach so we ended up in the ICW from Ponce Inlet, FL to our current stop here at Patuxent River, MD. The remainder of this post describes our route, our overnight stops, and some unusual encounters. I have added some lessons learned and tips for how to improve on social distancing.
First, about the ICW. Lots of shallows, especially in SC and GA. Nothing new for you ICW regulars, but we have not been down here in quite a while. And it was our first time in some areas. We used Bob423’s book, supplemented by the latest US Army Corps of Engineers hydro data as displayed on AquaMap Master. Bob’s book is great, but even the latest 2019 edition is a bit out of date regarding some of the ever changing shoaling. Using the latest USACE data, there are areas that have been dredged since his publication date (Yay!), and areas that have shoaled(Boo!).
Prior to the trip I downloaded Bob’s routes to the boat’s nav system as well as to AquaMap on the iPad. When we came up to a shallow area with a Bob423 route, I drove the route and Lisa followed the boat on the iPad. She had the latest USACE bathy data and would tell me to divert left or right for better water. In every case, Bob’s routes from 2019 are still good. In some areas Lisa was able to find an additional foot or so of depth based on updated bathy data.
The next source of valuable information was Waterway Guide’s web page on COVID 19. There we could find lists of open and closed marinas, as well as local government regulations regarding boating in that state, city or town. Some marinas listed on the site had subsequently closed, but the info was helpful. More for which marinas were already closed. I will not bother to discuss the various state by state guidelines as they are changing as we speak.
Our first leg was from Great Harbour Cay, Bahamas overnight to Port Canaveral, FL. As we were leaving, that marina was putting restrictions on new arrivals. Since then, all of the Bahamas has been in some sort of lock down so I will not attempt to capture current conditions there. But from what we have heard, leaving was the right decision for us. The Bahamas have a difficult problem as most of their GDP comes from tourism. And that means cruise ships. The Bahamas was a little late in stopping entry via cruise ship but has done that, as have other countries. Meanwhile, lots of empty cruise ships, many registered in the Bahamas, are floating around without a berth to go to. In our run from Great Harbour Cay to Port Canaveral we saw twenty-nine cruise ships at anchor or docked. There were nine parked just off Great Harbour Cay.
The trip over was quite comfortable. Should you follow this route, which dips under Grand Bahama, note that quite a few ships loiter outside Freeport waiting for their turn. Most of them are stationary but can start up at any time and head off in any direction. Better handled in daylight.
Our US arrival was uneventful. CBP ROAM app worked well and we were cleared while still a mile offshore. Talking to the dockmaster at our arrival marina, Ocean Club, he mentioned that folks not using the CBP ROAM had some difficulty clearing into the US. We have not heard of anyone not being able to check back in using ROAM. I will mention that we have had to update the ROAM app a few times so if you are planning to use it soon, check to be sure it is the latest version, and your data, such as your customs sticker number, is up to date.
We have stayed at Ocean Club a few times. Nice facility. We took on 1,000 gallons of fuel at $2.50/gal, plus one night’s free dockage. There are better prices out there now. This was our first attempt at coming to a marina while practicing social distancing. I let the dock hand pass me the fuel hose, and Lisa went to the office to sign the credit slip. In both cases, we kept our distance but we realized we could have done better. So:
Tip #1 is, have the dock hand set the fuel hose down near the boat and walk away. Then, wearing gloves, handle the hose yourself and put it back on the dock for him to recover.
Tip #2 is, pay the bill by providing the credit card number over the phone. We used this at St. Augustine, FL to pay for our mooring and again at Thunderbolt, GA and never left the boat. We also used the Dockwa app at Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach, SC which eliminates in person payment altogether.
Back to our trip North. Note that at the time, the Canaveral Lock was closed for maintenance. Reopen date might be 30 April. Since the canal was closed, we went outside to Ponce Inlet. We talked to Tow Boat US before going in, our first time here, and their instructions were straightforward. Nothing less than 7ft MLW. Our anchorage for the night was Bethune Park, just south of Daytona.
There was plenty of room. Only three other cruising boats. But much of the area is used up by local boats on moorings or semi-permanent anchors. We entered at R44. There are some 5ft humps in the area so keep alert. We anchored in the far north end. You can go further into the pocket in the NE corner than the charts would suggest. New city dock being built, with small beach near by if you need to walk a dog. Note that Halifax Harbor Marina, just to the north, was closed to transients at the time. Next time I will anchor just inside R44.
Next stop was St. Augustine mooring field. You can reserve a ball on line and pay by phone. We called a lay day for weather but did not leave the boat. Perfect for social distancing.
Trying to make the best of a difficult situation, we looked to find ways where we could enjoy some of the natural beauty of the area while following the guidelines. To that end our next destination was Cumberland Island National Sea Shore. At that time, the park offices were closed but park access was allowed. This is no longer the case. The island is now closed with signs posted to that effect. At that time we did see a few other people, all arriving by private boat as the ferries had long since been cancelled. For the most part, we had the park to ourselves.
There are multiple anchoring options at Cumberland, even with the island closed. With winds from N through SE, you can snuggle up pretty close to Cumberland Island. Tall trees will block most all the wind. No ferries to bother you, but still some runabout traffic. I sounded the area with the dinghy and the shore is deep nearer to land than the charts indicate, at least in the areas between the park docks. We came in with a SW wind so anchored in the middle. We like lots of space around us and we got it. Some protection, at least from fetch, can be had behind Drum Point Island on the western side of the anchorage.
Note that the new anchoring laws in GA prohibit anchoring within 1’000′ of any public or private dock, etc. So if you obey this law, you cannot anchor anywhere near the park docks. By the way, GA law also requires a lock of some sort of holding tank overboard pump out. See the latest at: https://coastalgadnr.org/new-coastal-boating-laws-take-effect-georgia
Our next stop was the Wahoo River in Georgia. Mostly open marshland with one area of trees providing North protection. We declared another lay day so we could explore the tributary creeks by kayak. The creeks cut deep, narrow and winding paths through the marsh grass, providing cover for all sorts of wildlife. Plenty of signs of alligators, and we could hear them bellowing from the cover of the grasses, but we never did see one. Lisa was happy about that!
This was our second time to use this anchorage and both times were in settled weather. The current is a knot or so on the ebb tide and barely noticeable on the flood tide. About 20ft deep so it took a bit of chain, but the deep section is at least 400ft wide, so plenty of swing room. I think it would work fine even in strong winds because the holding is good.
A bit of weather headed our way, so our next stop was Thunderbolt Marina near Savannah, GA. Never got withing six feet of anyone. Another lay day as we waited for the weather system to pass. Face dock directly on the ICW, so easy in and out. No provisioning within easy walking distance.
Steamboat Creek, SC was our next stop. Just past the Watts and Dawho shallows. There are a number of excellent anchorages in the area. Steamboat is wide and deep but has areas in of 15-17ft depth, so less anchor chain needed than other spots. Mostly exposed, but south and west wind protection available if you go further up the creek. If you choose to stop prior to the shallow sections, there are some nice stops on the South Edisto River. And again, you can find wind protection from whatever direction by choosing how far in you want to travel. Steamboat has a dock for dog walking. See Bob423 info for the exact location. Good holding and plenty of swing room. Some crab pots but easily managed. Pretty sunset in a peaceful spot.
Awendaw creek was next. Just a wide spot in the creek just off the ICW, but the widening helped reduce the current. About 1.5 knots on the ebb, less on the flood. Pretty setting but no wind protection. Good holding, plenty of swing room and just a few crab pots to avoid. No place to walk a dog.
Not looking forward to transiting the Rockpile for the first time, we chose to stop at Barefoot Marina, just short of this hazzard and face it fresh the next morning. Another face dock directly off the ICW so easy on and off. Paid over the phone and never left the boat. I suppose the Rockpile was easy, as I didn’t hit the rocks. But did I miss them by twenty feet or 2 inches? I will never know. Some day we will go through at low tide when you can see the rocks. That might scare me even more. Just a couple of miles long, but still scary.
We anchored next at Banks Channel in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Our hope was that we could travel offshore the next morning to Cape Lookout and visit the National Seashore. But again we were turned off by the weather to come. We anchored as deep as you can go in the pocket, near the low causeway bridge. Nice with no crowds, but this place can be pretty popular during normal cruising seasons. We were almost alone. Some weirdo in a small sailboat on a home made mooring decided to leave without dropping the mooring line at dusk. Under full power he did three or four loops in front of us as the mooring first dragged and then grabbed. He finally gave up and collapsed in a drunken stupor, with his boat sitting on top of our anchor. So now what? We decided to pull anchor quickly as it was already nearly dark. At the same time we called the local US Coast Guard to report the guy. We thought he was adrift as he appeared to disconnect from the mooring just before passing out on the bow. The CG arrived as I was dropping the anchor in our new spot. They had talked to the guy and then came by to tell us there was nothing they could do, since they did not witness the event.
More weather in store, so our next stop was Caspers Marina in Swansboro, NC. Again, an easy off and on to a face dock near the ICW. With 2-3 knots of current, it runs parallel to the dock so not so bad. Never got off the boat and paid remotely. I did hand the dock hand a tip, so violated a bunch of distancing rules. So here is the next tip;
Tip#3; prepare a few baggies with tip money in them now. By the time you need them the virus, if there was any, will be non-viable. Pass the baggie with gloves on. Both you and the recipient are relatively safe.
Bonner Bay, NC, just above the Neuse River, was our next anchorage. Large open bay, without much cover, but the weather was supposed to be benign so what did we care? We set the anchor, but I settled for 6:1 scope, since the night was promising to be quiet. And you know whats coming… When the storm came over we got a 180 degree wind shift and about 35 knots for 20 minutes or so. When I looked at my plotter I could see that we had dragged about ten feet with the wind switch. We had 500ft clear around us so no big deal, but still a bit disconcerting. If you go there, you can move deeper into the bay for some protection from SE to SW. Of course our weather event came from the North. And none of it was forecast.
Speaking of not being forecast, we were underway nearing Belhaven, NC and a cloud bank rolled over us. With that cloud bank came wind gusts to 50 knots. Sitting in our Krogen, all warm and fuzzy, it was more a novelty than a serious problem, but still impressive. A new record for us, even after lots of offshore sailing.
Had an interesting experience west of Morehead City, NC. First saw a lot of fish jumping near the boat. On closer look as we drove through one school, they were rays. Then they started swimming into the props, over and over. The boat shuddered with each chop of a ray and it was happening every few seconds. We slowed way down to reduce the potential damage but not sure that helped. There was some current in the area, so we could not just stop. This went on for at least a mile. Bad day for the rays.
Again we had a forecast for overnight thunderstorms, so we went to Alligator Marina, NC. Long face dock, easy turning basin, and no current. We were placed on the outside end so were able to leave at first light for the 70 or so miles to Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, VA. Note that there is a 6ft hump just as you enter the breakwater at Alligator. No big deal if you know it is coming. Our intent was to get across Albemarle Sound before the wind picked up and we just made it. By the time we got to AYB, it was gusting 40 knots in the cut itself. I had planned to top off our tanks with cheap fuel at $1.98, but couldn’t bring myself to perform two docking sequences in those winds.
We chose AYB as a stop because there is easy walking access to a Kroger grocery store. This was our first provisioning stop since Port Canaveral three weeks back. We really wanted some fresh produce. We had enough canned food and sprouts to keep going, but figured we could risk a stop.Virginia isn’t one of the stricter quarantine states so plenty of people about, some with masks, some without. Lisa donned mask and gloves while I waited outside to help carry the stuff back to the boat. Note that while we were there, AYB instituted a three day maximum stay for transients boats. They said they need dock space to launch their winter storage boats. From the looks of the dock, I am guessing that some transients have chosen AYB as an interim shelter in place location. Easy access to shopping, protected marina, etc. By the way, plenty of room on the free town docks. South town dock had a few boats and north town dock was empty. There is a twenty-four hour max stay rule.
We are now at the Pax River Navy Marina near Solomons, MD and this is our interim destination. We will shelter in place here while we wait to see what happens in Newport, RI. The last day on the Chesapeake, mostly in Maryland was quite strange. We saw only one or two small fishing skiffs and the bay was otherwise deserted. Yes, it was Easter Sunday, but still? The ban on recreational boating is being adhered to. We did see one small sailboat coming out of Solomons, but that was about all.
Our marina at the Naval War College is scheduled to open on May 1, but recent declarations by the Governor of RI have put a bit of a wrench in things. All boats entering RI from out of state must quarantine for 14 days, fly the Lima signal flag and stay aboard. We can handle all that but I am not sure our marina has figured out their procedures. In any event, when we leave here, we will be sure and have plenty of provisions aboard.
In summary, everyone considering the trip north will have to judge for themselves whether it is safe for them, and for others, to be on the move. We did the best we could to maintain our self quarantine and practice social distancing when we needed to interact with others. There were a couple of instances of interaction that could have been avoided if we had thought it out in advance and those are captured in the Tips.
As to the ICW. Freakishly empty. Open marinas had space and anchorages are mostly deserted. We had no issues with any law enforcement, just smiles and waves when we did see anyone official. I don’t think cruisers returning home are the target of some of these rules, but we may be caught up in them. The Maryland edict was brought on by boaters not following social distancing, etc. But the Rhode Island edict that forces a quarantine on all boats coming in from out of state (think NY and CT) hits us directly. Luckily RI is easy to avoid if your destination is further north, but will be a challenge for us. We will be sure to arrive with plenty of food, beer and wine.
Below is a listing of our stops, with the approximate mile markers. Hope your trip goes as well as ours did. Now we just hope we can get back to Newport!
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