Tuesday May 8, 2018 - Goose Creek to Alligator River (South end)

I was expecting today to be a little easier than yesterday.  Well, that didn't happen.  I left the anchorage at 6:30am and was in the Pamlico River within about 45 minutes.  I sailed for about 2 hours and then motor sailed most of the way into and up the Pungo River.  The Pungo is a long and winding river.  At least I was at a good angle for the mainsail to have a good effect (I was doing 5.5 knots motor sailing).   I had established criteria that if I was at the entrance of the Pungo/Alligator River Canal by noon, I would keep going.  I got there at 11:50am.   With my criteria met, I entered the 20 mile long canal.  This canal is two very straight sections that are 10 miles each with a 10 degree bend in the middle.  It is normally a pretty section of the ICW but today was very dreary, cold, windy, and misting.  Not much fun.  I exited the canal at 3:30 to North winds at 25.  I anchored just north of Deep Point.  There was one other boat already there but within an hour, there were 5. 

Two days ago, just before leaving Oriental, I met a young man Doug.  His boat was on the free dock just across from The Bean (coffee shop).  He had purchased his new (to him) boat off ebay and had come down a week earlier to take it home to Havre de Grace MD.  Part of my interest was that his boat was an Islander 28 - a smaller version of the Islander 30 I had for several  years.  It had been grounded for a week and the water had just come up enough that he was able to get underway.  I felt bad watching him disappear behind me as I sailed up the Neuse River.  It was pretty rough out and I had both main and jib reefed.  After a couple hours, it got even rougher and I was pretty sure he would have turned back. 

What a shock when I looked through my binoculars at the boat at the entrance to the Alligator River - it was "Original" - the Islander 28.  I called him on the radio and was happy that he responded.  However, his news was not good.  His shaft packing was leaking and he had water over the floor boards inside the boat.  His bilge pump was working and the boat was not sinking but he was not able to get to the packing to tighten it.  He had a number of other issues - only a handheld VHF (couldn't call for a tow), a dead cell phone, no lights inside the boat, etc.  He had contacted his wife (just before his phone died) to contact Tow Boat US but didn't know if they were coming.  I called Boat US on the radio and they (Ocracoke) called the unit in Bell Haven.  They will be coming 30 miles tomorrow morning to tow him back to Bell Haven.  I also texted his wife to let her know he was OK.  I wish there were more I could do but I think he has a number of issues he will need to sort out before he continues his trip north.  What's really ironic is that Doug's last name is Bell - and he is being towed back to Bell Haven.