Colonial Beach—only 110 miles away from our current spot at Atlantic Yacht Basin. Yahoo.
Working towards Colonial Beach
We slipped out of Beaufort early, aiming for Belhaven. The plan was to anchor in Belhaven Harbor, but when we arrived the wind had kicked up and the idea of rocking and rolling all night lost its charm fast. Instead, we eased into Belhaven Marina and ended up having a great evening catching up with old friends—the marina owner among them—and sharing end‑of‑day drinks with a few fellow boaters. Dinner in town, however, was a swing and a miss. You can’t win them all, and we’ll chalk that one up to experience. A better meal awaits somewhere up the waterway.
What’s Our Plan — Revised
The real debate that night was whether to push on to Coinjock or sit tight and wait out the weather brewing ahead. By the morning of the 26th, Carey and I decided to go for it. The forecast along the East Coast wasn’t exactly friendly, but we also needed to keep making our way home. So at 8:30 AM we pointed the bow north and began the 85‑mile run to Coinjock.
It turned out to be the right call. The weather held, the miles slipped by, and by 5 PM we were tied up quietly in Coinjock—surprisingly the only transient boat there, a rare sight for such a normally busy stop. The next decision loomed: a gale and small‑craft warning were settling in for the coming days. We figured we’d decide after dinner… and what a dinner. Coinjock handed us two fantastic meals, easily the best of the trip so far.
Up early on the 27th, ready to make the day’s call. I walked up to the marina office where everyone was buzzing about the expected gale. The consensus was unanimous: if it arrived at all, it wouldn’t be until after 5 PM. That was all we needed to hear. Start the engines—we’re going.
The 38‑mile run from Coinjock to Atlantic Yacht Basin was exactly the stepping‑stone we needed before Norfolk and the final push toward home. We made the trip in just under four hours and are now moored in Chesapeake, VA.
Unfortunately, a quick check with a mechanic revealed that the port engine’s raw water pump—a gear driven pump lubricated by oil—has a leaking seal. Ouch. No replacement pump readily available and we initially decided to continue on and watch the pump carefully. Cooler heads prevailed this morning the 28th. That pump freezing up could cause damage to the engine. We are not going to risk that event. We are retired and low risk boaters. We’ve now decided to wait here and get the pump replaced before heading to Colonial Beach. So, we must now suffer through more good meals eating out, and some relaxing down time for other activities. Not bad.
For now, we’re watching the weather closely and will move toward CB as soon as the pump is replaced and the weather allows. One thing is clear: becoming a true expert on weather—and having the right resources—has climbed to the top of the list for anyone boating in this time of climate change. Weather is so much more important to our boating pleasure during climate change. A downer though … we’re bringing along unhealthy amounts of devilish yellow oak pollen! It started in South Carolina and keeps floats around up the East Coast.
Below is just one example of the many commercial vessels we share the ICW with on days like this.
