DSK wrote:

Rich Hampel wrote:
Anyone with local knowledge know the depths into Ocracoke Island from
the Pamlico Sound / River?

??? Where are you trying to go? There's no way to get from the Pamlico
River anywhere near Ocracoke without crossing Pamlico Sound. It'd be
like trying to get into Block Island from the Pawcatuck River

He did say Sound/River

Are you going from the ICW out to Ocracoke? That would go from the mouth
of either the Neuse or Pamlico River across the Sound, about twenty five
miles, up to either Big Foot or Nine Foot channels. Big Foot channel is
harder to follow and is about 5'.... the other is a longer way but
slightly easier and about 8'... both go past the entrance into Silver
Lake, the harbor at Ocracoke, out to the sea channel, so they aren't
"red right returning" until you make the final turn into Silver Lake.
This confuses a lot of folks and gives the place a reputation for being
more difficult than it really is.

We've always stayed away because we felt the shallower channel was too
shallow and the deeper channel had a bridge that was too low.

Bob did want to go out Oregon Inlet and back in Little Creek, and we
even ordered the paper chart. But it didn't really tell us anything
more than the other charts did, and it has somehow gotten lost. (and
I swear I didn't do it).

I don't really care much for Pamlico Sound. Albemarle has a nasty
rep, but it's never been a problem for us. Pamlico OTOH has never
been nice.

grandma Rosalie

Are you referring to the channel east of Roanoke, north of the Pamlico
Sound? I am not aware of any bridges over the Big Foot channel.

What are your bad experiences sailing the Pamlico Sound? Weather?

With my keel swung up, i draw about 4 feet. Instead of taking the ICW down
the Alligator River, I'm thinking of motoring around Roanoke (thru the 5ft
reported channel) and sailing down the sound to Ocracoke.

What say ye?

We've always stayed away because we felt the shallower channel was too
shallow and the deeper channel had a bridge that was too low.

I dont know the name of the channel that cuts through between Roanoke
Is. and Kill Devil; but, about 8 years ago I went east on the Albemarle
to Manteo on Roanoke Is. ... and that channel had 8-10 ft. depth all
the way in.

I really enjoyed Manateo/Roanoke ... the people are 'super'. Only one
marina in Manteo but very well kept ( at least it was).

"RayD" raydatgisdotnet wrote:

Are you referring to the channel east of Roanoke, north of the Pamlico
Sound? I am not aware of any bridges over the Big Foot channel.

OK - you made me look at the charts. What we had been thinking of was
another way to get from Albemarle to Pamlico Sound without having to
go through the Alligator Pungo Canal. (Bob likes the Alligator because
we can usually sail there, but there's a lot of problems with
deadheads in the canal) We'd have to go through either Roanoke or
Croatian Sound, and one is shallow (we draw 5') and the other one has
the bridge and we have a 58.5' mast. I wasn't really thinking about
the actual channel exit. Sorry.

What are your bad experiences sailing the Pamlico Sound? Weather?

Yes mostly. We've just been through the corner of Pamlico Sound from
the Bay River to the Neuse River but we've done it 6 times. Looking
at my logs, I see that the first year (Nov 2000) was relatively benign
(foggy the next day going down, and foggy in Oriental in the morning
going back(April 2001)).

The second year (Nov 2001) going south was rough and windy. We had
people with us and the guy really enjoyed the sailing, but I was a bit
unhappy. Coming north we had fog coming out of Oriental again (April
2002). We also had a lot of fog on the Pasquotank in Nov 2003 which
basically cleared up as soon as we got to Albemarle sound.

Then this past winter (Nov 2003) it was OK coming down but it was
really windy and rough coming back in (and of course that's the
freshest in my memory).

I wrote: "April 24, 2004 continued
We go through the Adams Core Creek Canal and into Adams Creek. It is
quite windy - the wind has picked up to 19-22 knots and it has gotten
cloudy. I suggested that Bob put out the lines for docking in
Oriental while we are still in Adam's Creek before we get into the
Neuse River where it will be less protected. GLORY DAYS passed as he
was doing that, and stared in astonishment. I don't know whether they
were surprised that he was out on deck, or whether they couldn't
figure out what he was doing. There's a sailboat race in Adams Creek,
and another one at the entrance to Adams Creek in the Neuse River. I
overheard some of the racers at dinner, and they had a very boisterous
race. There are big waves in the Neuse. I saw a kayak paddle drifting
past as we went into the Oriental channel....

"April 25, 2004 We were crashing into the waves all the way up the
Neuse River. Bob put the main and staysail up and we were all the way
up to 7 mph. The Hobucken Coast Guard got a report of a dinghy adrift
(with life jackets in it) near the Oriental entrance channel, and we
saw their boat go after it. There are 4 sailboats behind us. As we
turned the corner into Pamlico Sound and then into the Bay River, Bob
put the jib up."



With my keel swung up, i draw about 4 feet. Instead of taking the ICW down
the Alligator River, I'm thinking of motoring around Roanoke (thru the 5ft
reported channel) and sailing down the sound to Ocracoke.

What say ye?

We've always stayed away because we felt the shallower channel was too
shallow and the deeper channel had a bridge that was too low.



grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html

RayD wrote:
Are you referring to the channel east of Roanoke, north of the Pamlico
Sound? I am not aware of any bridges over the Big Foot channel.

What are your bad experiences sailing the Pamlico Sound? Weather?

With my keel swung up, i draw about 4 feet. Instead of taking the ICW down
the Alligator River, I'm thinking of motoring around Roanoke (thru the 5ft
reported channel) and sailing down the sound to Ocracoke.

What say ye?

Definitely go. It's deeper than that, it's pretty well marked, and there
are some really nice places... it's a big big tourist area during high
summer though.

With 4' draft you can go a lot great places.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King