[Rhodes22-list] Outer Banks Sea Trials
Peter Thorn
pthorn at nc.rr.com
Wed Apr 27 12:57:37 EDT 2005
Bill,
I have heard similar stories that Ocracoke Inlet can be pretty bad.
However, there's a lot a good water for sailing in the sound. It's a lot of
big shallow (in places) water.
It's not that the sound is great for shoal draft boats, it's more like "a
shoal draft boat with a keel/cb is good for an area like the Pamilco
Sound" - a lot less fuss with a grounding.
Pay attention, be prepared, watch the weather and HAVE A GREAT TRIP! I wish
I was going.
PT
----- Original Message -----
From: "William E. Wickman" <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
To: <alexbell at lpmonline.net>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
<rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 11:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Outer Banks Sea Trials
>
> Alex,
> I appreciate your insights, but you are painting a pretty bleak picture
for
> me. I thought that this area was supposed to be great for shoal draft
> boats like the Rhodes. Is really that bad? I have charts of the area and
> can see where the restricted areas are. I'll stay away from them as I
> certainly don't want to be used as a target. :) I've got the 9.9hp
> Yamaha. Are you saying that it will not provide enough power to overcome
> wind and waves? I would think that it must be pretty intense conditions
> for the 9.9hp to be overpowered.
>
> Bill W.
>
>
>
>
> |---------+---------------------------------->
> | | Alex Bell |
> | | <alexbell at lpmonline.net|
> | | > |
> | | Sent by: |
> | | rhodes22-list-bounces at r|
> | | hodes22.org |
> | | |
> | | |
> | | 04/27/2005 05:18 AM |
> | | Please respond to |
> | | alexbell; Please |
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> | | 22 mail list |
> | | |
> |---------+---------------------------------->
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> |
|
> | To: Peter Thorn <pthorn at nc.rr.com>, The Rhodes 22 mail
list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> |
> | cc:
|
> | Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Outer Banks Sea Trials
|
>
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>
>
>
>
> William,
>
> I would consider going on your trip on a much bigger boat, but not the
> Rhodes. The trip from Oriental to Beaufort will take you 4 hours or
> more. Going across the Neuse River across to the Inland waterway you'll
> find it to be 8 miles wide. When you get to Beaufort, be aware that this
> is a major seaport and large ocean going ships come into port here. They
> are not slow lumbering boats. They move out. When we brought Kizmet up
> from Charleston, SC, we went via the Atlantic and put in at Beaufort.
> What a shock. We had freighters passing us in the channel like we we
> standing still. Adding to the fun was the early morning fishing fleet
> that storms out the inlet in the channel going full throttle. The
> freighter passed us while we were going 7 knots under full power and it
> was going at least 15 knots, more likely 20. The fishing fleet can be
> anything from 28 to 60 footers with mucho power. Most professionals
> with outboards have dual 200+ hp and they're using em to get to the
> fishing grounds first. Meanwhile you're wallowing in the troughs and
> wake they're churning.
>
> Trying to come in from the Atlantic at Ocracoke Inlet is for the
> veteran, seasoned boater. I would not try it myself. This is a tricky
> inlet that has constant shoaling and rough waters. Experienced fishing
> trawlers (professional seamen) have lost their boats there on a regular
> basis. I would not try it in a Rhodes. You don't have the enough power
> to fight the current and waves if your timing is off.
>
> You would do well to stay in the Oriental area and sail Pamlico Sound.
> It's plenty large and has lots of places you can anchor and overnight.
> You need to get a charat for the area and heed the warning areas. The
> Marine Corps has a bombing area out there. Never know when it's going to
> be in use. It's a prohibited area and marked as such, but if you don't
> have a chart, you won't know what it's all about. The chart indicates
> depth that you might not worry about with the shallow draft but you can
> still get into some trouble. It's only a foot deep in some places where
> you;d think it was deep water. You will find that the waters in Core
> Sound, the water inside the Outer Banks from Cape Lookout to Ocracoke is
> very shallow.
>
> We've gone aground in the middle of the Neuse River near New Bern with
> the Rhodes. Luckily we pulled the cb up and were off, but what a shock
> to be in the middle of a 3 mile wide river and go aground. The good news
> is that you won't hit rocks, it's sand and muck. Be prepared for
> anchoring with a suitable anchor (danforth or delta) and have at least 6
> feet of chain on your rode. I've seen the commentary about not using
> chain, but experienced boaters will choose the cautious side and be so
> equipped. I once had trouble anchoring in 7 feet of water with Kizmet
> when in a creek with the wind blowing. I was using a 35# CQR anchor with
> ALL chain rode. It took 150 feet of chain to finally get the anchor to
> set, then we reduced scope to about 80 feet. I don't know what would
> have occured if we did not have the chain. We've switched our primary
> anchor to a 33# Bruce with 20 feet of chain and 150 feet of nylon. It
> works better.
>
> We had a Nor'easter two weeks ago that lasted 3 or 4 days. That kind of
> weather action forces the water across Pamlico sound and up the Neuse
> River. We had water over the docks for a day and the water level was up
> for the extent of the strom. When that occurs, you will not be able to
> get out of some of the rivers that go into Pamlico Sound that are
> located on the South end of the Sound. You just don't have enough power
> to fight the wind and wave action. Keep that in mind. You really need to
> pay attention to the weather here.
>
> Alex Bell
> New Bern, NC
> Kizmet, IP35-170
> Blewdaze, R22
>
> Peter Thorn wrote:
>
> >Bill,
> >
> >I made the trip from Oriental to Ocracoke and back in a chartered
Catalina
> >27 about 25 yaers ago. It can be a nice trip this time of year, but as
> >always it's very good to watch the weather. It's 50 miles of open water,
> >and if I recall correctly, tends to get very shallow near Ocracoke. If
> the
> >weather blows from the NE bad waves can develop across the entire fetch..
> >Steep, choppy short frequency waves, much worse than deep water rollers
> with
> >a long frequency that don't ever break. On the eastern side of the
> Pamlico
> >you can be out of landsight (most of the land there is pretty low) and
> have
> >these bad conditions develop -- in 5 feet of water! Way out on the ocean
> >side Cape Hatteras is called the "graveyard of the Atlantic", so a little
> >caution there would be a good thing too. I think this is mainly has to
do
> >with the gulf stream and how Cape Hatteras sticks it's chin out in it.
> >I've never sailed out there, so can't tell you much more.
> >
> >PT
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "William E. Wickman" <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
> >To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 9:34 AM
> >Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Outer Banks Sea Trials
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>I'm heading out Wednesday afternoon to introduce my Rhodes to saltwater
> >>
> >>
> >for
> >
> >
> >>the first time. My plan is to put in at Oriental, NC and sail/motor
down
> >>to Beaufrot, NC (maybe catch lunch) then head out to Cape Lookout. From
> >>Cape Lookout I hope (weather permitting) to make a run up to Ocracoke,
> >>
> >>
> >then
> >
> >
> >>sail across Pamlico Sound back to Oriental. I am really excited to
> >>
> >>
> >finally
> >
> >
> >>get my Rhodes into some big water and see how she handles in the ocean.
> >>Anyone make this trip before? Any must sees or must dos? Any advice?
> >>
> >>Bill W.
> >>
> >>__________________________________________________
> >>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >>
> >>
> >
> >__________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
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