With considerable trepidation, we decided to head out into Albermarle Sound. Winds at 7mph sounded reasonable given our 10mph warning. The weather forecast showed no threatening storms — though as we were underway, the clouds to the east sure looked threatening to me!
The sailboat contingent managed to get out of our marina before us, so we knew we’d have to slow/avoid them starting out. That part turned out to be pretty easy, as the water is wide and provides plenty of depth. The water was ruffled up even as we left. Based on our experience on Lake Michigan, we know that “in the middle” waves can kick up 2 and 3 times the size at shoreline. Of course, the route across Lake Michigan is 80 miles and here we were only dealing with about 35 miles.
Winds were out of the southwest….the cruising guide notes that either east or west winds can stir the shallow waters of the sound “into a nasty, short chop.” “Even a light wind can quickly create rough, confused seas.” Check. Not too many crab pots, though we kept a sharp eye out for them. I think our experience in the Keys where there are thousands and thousands of lobster traps in the water was a benefit. And I think the crab potters are a little smarter about where they place their traps — mostly well outside the ICW canal. The Keys lobsetermen could take a lesson from them.
The water really didn’t bump up too much — more like being in a washing machine. Sailor friends who’ve crossed the Playpen in Chicago know the experience of wakes kicking up waves (small ones!) in every direction. That’s what this crossing was like. Dot Calm likes CALM water….so we did a bit of wallowing as we navigated from day mark to day mark.
Once we were out of the sound, we got our wish for calm waters. Beautifully calm, with clouds and the shore gorgeously reflected in the water.
Our next stop was Coinjock Marina located about mid-way along a straight canal that connects the North River off the Albermarle Sound to the Currituck Sound which we’ll tackle tomorrow. It gets much fewer warning notes!
Tonight we’ll dine at the Coinjock Marina Restaurant. Our found friends Tim and Debbie told us we’d need to reserve a slab of prime rib ahead of time…and so we did!
