Cruising World – May 2018

HANDS-ON SAILOR

may 2018

cruisingworld.com

65

the Pungo River — Slade, Jor-
dan and Scranton, to point out
three of them — with anchor-
ages offering good-to-excellent
protection. Expect local boats,
especially in Scranton Creek,
because it’s a well-known op-
tion in the area.
On the ICW Dismal Swamp
route, the anchorage behind
Goat Island on the Pasquotank
River has long been regarded
as a great spot to hole up. That
was my destination when run-
ning from Hurricane Joaquin,
but fortunately, that storm
turned east and left us alone. In
Elizabeth City itself, it’s pos-
sible to go a considerable dis-
tance up Knobbs Creek, past
the turning basin (noted on the
NOAA chart), to fi nd shelter.
Seek local advice on this option
if you choose it because the
creek might be chained off.

CHESAPEAKE BAY
Getting up into Chesapeake
Bay, it’s possible to fi nd good
shelter dozens of miles from
the bay, up rivers such as the

Rappahannock, by seeking out

their many creeks and small

bays. In Annapolis, my go-to

spot during Hurricane Isabel

was Brewer Creek, several miles

up the Severn River. Again,

it offers high hills, trees and

very limited fetch. There are

numerous similar locations in

the area. You can also take one

of the Navy’s heavy mooring

balls, located at various

locations along the Severn.

However, in the unlikely event

the Navy shows up wanting

your mooring ball, you’re out

of luck.

For Isabel, I had three heavy

200-foot lines tied to trees on-

shore, plus two anchors out

in 8 feet of water (at low tide),

and another line of about 100

feet tied to a dock behind me.

While I could possibly have

managed with less, the long

lines allowed the boat to eas-

ily absorb the 8-foot surge at

the height of the storm. Wind

was a nonissue due to the hills

and trees, plus the shape of the

creek effectively blocked the

wind from entering.

Overkill? Nope, there’s no

such thing as overkill when

protecting yourself and your

boat from a named storm.

Do your homework, be

ready, assume the worst and,

above all, be safe.

Wally Moran and his pup, Ad-

uana, routinely sail between the

Great Lakes, Bahamas and Cuba

aboard his bright-red 1975 Du-

four 34, Gypsy Wind.

MARINA RESOURCES

Harbor Square Marina

290 Marine Harbor Drive

Merritt Island, FL

321-453-2464

harborsquaremarina.tripod

.com

Harbortown Marina

2700 Harbortown Drive

Merritt Island, FL

321-453-0160

harbortownmarina.com

St. Marys Boat Services

1084 Point Peter Road

St. Marys, GA

904-219-2869

stmarysboatservices.com

Windmill Harbour Marina

161 Harbour Passage

Hilton Head Island, SC

843- 681-9235

windmillharbourmarina.org

Charleston City Boatyard

130 Wando Creek Lane

Charleston, SC

843-884-3000

thecityboatyard.com

Osprey Marina

8400 Osprey Road

Myrtle Beach, SC

843-215-5353

ospreymarina.com

River Dunes Harbor Club

and Marina

43 Old Lighthouse Road

Oriental, NC

800-975-9565

riverdunes.com