Running Aground...Spooners Creek Marina (ICW 0210) to Mile Hammock Bay (ICW 0244)

The Marina opened at 8am and Joseph, a very nice marina employee, helped us with a pump out and took our payment for last nights stay.  We were getting in the habit of getting a receipt for pump outs.  Want to keep the EPA happy.  Anchoring at 4:15pm in an ample sized bay of the ICW, we had only covered 34 miles but had a good reason, or a bad one, depending on how you look at it. 

Running Aground

Another first; today we ran aground.  Traveling along with a good current and wind on our backs, we noticed a 40 foot sailboat up ahead with its sails up and crosswise to the channel.  There were about a half dozen small open fishing boats in the same vicinity.  It was a curious thing we thought but did not decrease speed.  The channel was wide and there had been no need of any buoys or markers for some time.  A 35 foot sailboat in front of us hailed the one with the sails up on Channel 16 with no response.  They took the 40 footer on their starboard side.  As we approached we noticed that the small sailboat had gone hard aground and so was the larger one.  About the same moment we noticed a green buoy G 61A to starboard of both boats and only about 20 feet from the shore.  We made for the buoy but hit a shoal before we got there to make us grounded boat number three. 

Within 10 minutes a ketch approached and 40 foot sail hailed him to stay well to starboard of us.  He also ran aground but was able to reverse free and continue through the channel.  A friendly local boat carried an anchor up current for us but against the current and the wind we could not wrench ourselves free.  30 foot sail called Sea Tow and after another 45 minutes the rescue boat arrived to rescue everyone.  While we were waiting the Krogen Forever Exploring we had seen in Elizabeth City passed us, 

We have a Boat US Membership but their wait was 1.5 hours so we paid Sea Tow to pull us off.  I see a second membership in the very near future.   Apparently boats hit the shoal here all the time so in the future, heads up at ICW 0239, Buoy G 61A just north of Freemans Creek.  We could have waited until the tide changed and maybe taken ourselves off but the wind was not expected to let up and it would have been dusk. 

 

As for anchoring, this is the first place we had difficulty getting our anchor to hold.  We backed down at least 10 boat lengths before if took hold.  Forever Exploring was already there all snuggled in.  Four sail boats came after us, but there was plenty of room.