Renting a Car

When you need to get around on land on your own schedule, a car is the easiest mode of transportation in the United States. Having your own wheels lets you pack what you want and go when you want without having to adhere to any company or government regulations. 

Renting a car can also be economical, if a few steps are followed. 

First, always request the smallest car that the rental company has to offer; chances are that this car is not available and you will receive a "free upgrade" as in they will give you a more expensive car at the cheap car rate. For example, we reserved a Nissan Versa (The smallest car from Enterprise on that day) and when we got there, the smallest vehicle they had was a pickup truck. The person at the counter gave us the choice between a Ford F-150 and a Nissan Frontier! This trick has worked very well for us, especially in small towns where the rental agencies only have a few cars available on the lot at any given time. 

This works well when you are renting a car to run errands or something, but will be returning to the same location to return the car. If you are going to do a "One-Way Rental", there will be a fee for every mile you drive, and the further you plan to go, the more expensive the rental will become. This brings us to our second trick to save money when renting a car. 

When doing one way rentals, always rent from and return to an airport. Airports are flooded with cars coming in from other locations and these rental locations actually need to get rid of their inventory. This translates into them not charging you for the one way rental! 

the problem with renting from an airport is that they do have a vast inventory and if you request the super tiny car, you will probably end up crammed into it, so it would behoove you to rent the smallest car you are willing to get stuck in and not count on the free upgrade. 

While in North Carolina, the rental for a car (with all the insurances) came out to be around $80 per day. The one way rental fee from North Carolina to Maryland was over $300! When we did the airport trick, the fee was waived and the trip from NC to MD was only $80. Saving more of your money will give you the flexibility to get around on land while keeping your cruising fund full.

ICW from Beaufort to Southport, NC

When we left Oriental, we headed down Adams Creek to Beaufort. We had two choices at this point: go offshore or take the ICW. Offshore was our preferred route, as the distance from the Beaufort inlet to the Masonboro Inlet is only 65 miles. This equates to a full days passage and is a straight shot. The only detail you need to iron out is timing the tide so that you exit the Beaufort inlet with the outgoing tide and arrive at the Masonboro inlet at the incoming tide.  

Both of these inlets have strong currents and trying to fight the current is dangerous and pointless. The winds are another factor to consider. A NW wind will put you on a nice beam/broad reach from one inlet to the next and will take you there on a single tack! There is plenty of water depth and little traffic to worry about, making this an ideal passage. 

The alternative is to go the ICW, which is the sheer opposite. It is narrow, shallow, and full of traffic and bridges. The distance is also much longer as you need to follow the curvature of the land and snake your way through inlets. 

We arrived at Beaufort late and the tide was wrong for leaving. There was also a storm approaching and if we went the offshore route, we risked arriving at the inlet during the storm. If we wanted to go offshore, we would need to sit and wait for a better weather window, but that didn't seem to be on the horizon. 

Instead of waiting, we decided to power on and take the ICW route instead. This was both a blessing and a course. 

We anchored just next to Morehead City and waited for the morning light to begin our journey. We caught the powerful incoming tide as it swept us into the Bogue Sound. The wind was beautiful, putting us on a beam reach, the same sailing conditions we would have had if we were offshore, minus the wonderful current. Between the wind and current, we powered through the Bogue Sound at speeds of 6-7 knots, and most of the time was spent in the 7 knot range! We made it to the middle of the sound by slack water and the current stopped as the tide was at its highest and was starting to ebb. 

When the current stopped flowing, our speed slowed to 4 knots, which is what our speed would have been in the ocean with the present winds making the 65 mile trek take about 16 hours. As the tide began to ebb with more force, our speed began to climb again and we were once again sailing along at 7 knots as we were being swept out of the sound with the ebbing tide. 

The entire Bogue Sound is 20 miles wide and we sailed across it in under 3 hours! We started at 8am and were on the other side by 11am, with an average speed of 6.6 knots. As soon as we passed the next inlet, we were all of a suddenly faced with a head current of the next inlets ebbing tide and our speed plummeted to 2 knots. Instead of fighting the current we simply anchored for lunch! 

In a few hours, the tide was out and the current had calmed down, so we raised anchor and sailed a few more miles until the sun got low on the horizon. 

The Bogue Sound was amazing, we had great wind and the current was in our favor! We sailed quickly and the temperature was comfortable. It was a wonderful introduction to the ICW and filled our spirits with false hope! 

The next morning, we were faced with the storm that we would have encountered had we gone offshore. It was cold and the winds were powerful. We waited for the currents to be in our favor and then raised anchor. The problem was the wind was directly on our nose, so we couldn't really sail in the very narrow channel. 

With no possibility of sailing, we were forced to motor along as the current carried us along but the wind pushed us back. We covered only a few miles that day before the sun got low and we anchored again. This is where the trouble started! 

We draw 6.5 feet and most of the anchorages and marinas are about 5 feet deep. This means that we can't enter them, let alone leave the channel. We are forced to anchor on the side of the channel in areas where deep water blebs out to the side a bit. The issue is, these deep sections are small and infrequent. By the time we let out enough scope, our keel has bumped into the bottom with the outgoing tide and we find ourselves aground, every night, and every low tide. 

The next morning, the tide will be high and we will float off the bottom, able to continue on, but the currents are very strong. We find that it is best to wait for the current to be in our favor and motor along as the current pushes us to our destination. The wind might be in our favor, allowing us to supplement our speed with sails, but it might be directly on the nose and not offer us any rememdy to the situation.  

As if the narrow waterway and shallow depth wasn't enough of a deterrent, it was also 40F and raining. The weather was horrible but we wanted to make our way south, so we would time the currents and raise the anchor when it was favorable, moving a few miles each day. Some days we managed to travel 15 miles, other days only 5 miles. The miles were hard earned in the miserable weather, but the good part is we were able to move everyday, regardless of the weather! 

After many nights spent with the keel on the bottom, we finally made it to Wrightville Beach which is next to the Masonboro inlet! Instead of being a 16 hour sail, we took 8 days to reach the same destination. 

While the time difference seems ridiculous, the ICW did offer many advantages that we are glad to have taken advantage of. With the winter storms constantly brewing, we would still be waiting for a weather window to make the trek from Beaufort to Masonboro. While the travel was slow and hard, we did manage to move every day as we slowly made our way down the ICW. It was not glamorous and it was not fun, as the cold rain thoroughly dampened our spirits as we covered the miles of water. 

The wonderful part about the ICW though is the weather is very benign. After spending 3 days in a gale offshore of Cape Hatteras, 30 knots of wind in the ICW seemed like a joke! The winds would be strong but the water was completely flat, allowing us to comfortably motor along without needing to stow anything in the cabin as the boat would not even rock in the calm waters. 

If we had to do it again, I would say that either option is a viable one. Offshore is a much faster and easier journey if the weather is cooperating, while the ICW is a slower but dependable passage. You might find yourself forced to heave to in a storm offshore, but that same weather in the ICW might lead to an extra layer of clothing to keep warm as you still work your way south that day. 

The truly depressing part about our 90+ mile journey in the ICW is that we only sailed about 25 of the miles. The rest of the journey was spent motoring. If you know me, you also know that this is torture for me. Days were spent with the wind on the bow and no room to tack, so raising any sail would just equate to added wind resistance. We then motored along with the current as we had no hope of sailing for days on end. 

Knowing Your Limits

Cruising might seem like fun and games. You get in your boat and sail to paradise. Everything is perfect and easy! Right? 

The truth is, cruising is a balancing act between what you can do and what you can't do. You will dance this line and occasionally cross it. When you do, you can either try and prove that the line doesn't apply to you or you can back off and retreat to your side of the line. 

Crossing the line momentarily may seem fun at times, but the punishment is always looming overhead. 

We have found that heaving to in a gale is a good method to survive the gale, but not a good method to enjoy a gale. Gales are much more enjoyable when experienced at anchor in a protected anchorage. The wind might seem "a bit stronger than usual" as the trees and landmass surrounding you shield you from the winds force.  The seaway is small, so there is no fetch for any waves to form and your anchor holds securely as you row to shore to enjoy a day in a new town. 

Likewise, we have also found that the ICW is best traveled downwind and downcurrent. The current in the ICW is a formidable force! We will frequently encounter currents in excess of 3 knots and if the current is working against you, you might find yourself moving backwards! 

While the current is strong, the wind is also a powerful player in this game. If the wind is on your nose and the current is pushing you, the windage of the yacht will cause you to slow to a stop as the current forces against your keel and pushes you along at a very slow pace. The danger here is that, while you are still moving at 2-3 knots, you are effectively motionless in the water and your rudder is not going to function properly. This means that you will have no steerage and will be at the complete mercy of the wind.  

We have tried to fight the wind and done stupid things like not use the motor and keep our sails down as we drift along with the current. The issue is the wind against the hull will drive you towards the banks of the channel and you will end up using all of your motor power just trying to keep in the deeper parts of the waterway. 

If the winds are very strong, you might find it impossible to motor against the wind, even if the tide is in your favor. These days are best spent at anchor where you can wait out the weather with a nice stroll through the local town. 

We have made it a rule that we will only venture out from our anchorage on days when there is no wind or the wind is behind us, and we will try to always go with the current.  

The wind is most important for us, being a sailboat. We can fly a lot of sail downwind and power against a weak current, but we can't seem to power against a strong wind! When the wind and current are in the same direction, and both pushing you, it may seem disheartening to find that the speed of the current will rob you of your true wind and your following apparent wind will feel very underwhelming. It is times like this that we have even opted to only fly the staysail, as the main just hangs limp and causes us to worry about an accidental jibe at any moment. 

With these simple rules, we stay well within the line of what nature allows of us while in the ICW. Wind and tide are formidable forces and fighting them will only remind you of the fact that you are a mere sailor and no match for such a force of nature. 

Intra Coastal Waterway Bridges

I have heard that the bridge tenders on the ICW are trolls that have moved from under the bridge to ontop of the bridge. "They are mean and cruel, making everyone wait and yelling at everyone around them!" 

While this is a common thing to hear about the bridge tenders, this is certainly not the case. Bridge tenders along the ICW operate and control the swing and draw bridges that cross the waterway. Most of the bridges that cross the waterway are fixed bridges at 65 feet in height, but some of the older bridges have not been replaced and are still the antiquated system. 

Bridge tenders spend their days inside a small room that overlooks the bridge and roadway. On one side, they have the cars, which are filled with people in a rush, crossing the bridge as they go about their lives. On the other side, they have the yachts that are passing through the waterway, heading North or South, depending on the season. The yachts are filled with people who are trying to get somewhere and are probably trying to adhere to a schedule.  

If the bridge is allowing cars to pass, then boaters have to wait. If the bridge is allowing boats to pass, then cars have to wait. It seems there is no possible way to please both cars and boats at the same time! When currents are strong, yachts will radio the bridge complaining about the flow of water and request that the bridge be opened sooner to avoid a problem. Opening the bridge to allow a few boats through means that many, many cars will have to wait as the yachts make their slow transit through the open pass. Then the cars will begin yelling at the bridge tender, giving him grief. 

I really feel bad for the bridge tenders, they try their hardest to make everyone happy, but it seems that everyone is in a rush and mad at them for not letting them cross the bridge. 

While it may seem like a horrible situation where the bridge tender chooses when to let someone cross the bridge, the truth is the bridges operate on a schedule. They open on the hour or half hour, and they will gladly tell you the schedule from far away if you merely ask them via radio (on channel 13).  

To make the bridges simple and easy to navigate, we simply radio the bridge when we are a few miles away.  I introduce myself as "South-bound sailing vessel" and ask what the opening schedule is for the bridge. They will either respond with "top of the hour" meaning they open on the hour (10am, 11am, noon, 1pm, etc.) or "top and bottom of the hour" meaning they open every hour and half hour (10:00am, 10:30am, 11;00am, 11:30am, etc).

With this information, I simply plot the distance on the chart plotter and adjust my speed so that I will arrive merely 10 minutes before the bridge opens. This means that I will only have to wait about 10 minutes, and also ensures that I won't be late and just miss the opening. 

With our electric motor, we can't always go very fast for a long time, so we find that adjusting our speed so that we can run as slow as possible and still make the next opening in time.  This is in contradiction to what we see other yachts doing, where they will pass us at hull speed, and then reach the bridge in a few minutes arguing on the radio with the bridge tender as they ask him to open the bridge early for him.

They must do this at every bridge, but yet they never get a bridge to open early. All they do is anger everyone around them as they try to bully their way through the waterway. The worst victim in the scenario is the lonely bridge tender who has to deal with these kinds of people on a daily basis.  

Many of the bridges are visible from miles away, so it is always nice to let the bridge tender know what time you will be arriving, that way he doesn't think you are trying to make the next opening. One that stood out to us in particular was about 5 miles away, and opened on the hour and half hour. The bridge tender radioed us asking if we would speed up to make the next opening, but we responded with the statement "our engine is small and weak, so we won't be able to make the next opening. We will be arriving in 1.5 hours, so we will see him at the third opening."  

One final thing you can do to be extra nice to the bridge tender is to let them know when you have made it out the other side. Bridge tenders can't always see very well when you have cleared the pass and do not want to hit you with their bridge. Letting them know you are clear of everything will let them start closing the bridge and get the cars flowing again which will make their life easier as fewer people will be yelling at him.

Going Where You Don't Fit

When we set off cruising, our plan was to travel down the East Coast of the United States offshore, and never venture on the ICW. This plan was cemented by our choice to repower with an electric motor when we pulled out our Diesel engine. Due to deteriorating weather, we have found ourselves in the ICW anyway and have had to make the most out of the situation.

The electric motor was far from our biggest deterrent to the ICW, the real deterrent was our deep keel. We draw 6.5 feet and that makes the ICW a tricky waterway to navigate. We have friends on trawlers who cruise down to Florida every winter and draw only 4 feet, and they run aground from time to time in the ICW. Having an extra 2.5 feet of draft means that we don't fit in most anchorages and are forced to anchor on the side of the channel where there is a bit of deep water beyond the edge of the channel. 

Being outside of the dredged area though means that we will be on the bottom at low tide, and forces us to wait until the following high tide to keep moving because that is when we will float off the bottom. 

We have run aground at least once everyday since we entered the ICW, and somedays even more than that. Luckily, most of our groundings occur when we are setting the anchor and letting out the appropriate amount of scope. It seems that we can find deep water that is about 60 feet long, so when we let out 80 feet of rode, we will leave that deep area and bump the bottom. 

In places where the tide is more pronounced, low tide can be quite uncomfortable. With our long keel, the bow will dip down as the boat rests on the keel. This makes the inside of the boat slant forward significantly. If the tide goes out even further or a strong wind blows on the large and exposed side, we will tip over and lean around 10-15 degrees until the water next to the boat can support the weight. Sleeping becomes a challenge as you feel like if you are trying to sleep on the side of a wall. This makes for a less restful night that is followed by waiting for the next high tide to float off the bottom. 

Going where you don't fit doesn't mean you won't get where you are trying to go, it just means that it won't be pretty and it will be slow going.