Down a channel without a rudder

Yesterday, a dramatic turn in events changed our immediate cruising plans completely. But you know what they say about "plans", especially when it comes to boating. In short, here's what happened:

After a full three weeks of planning, preparation, and waiting for a weather window, we were ready to head south aboard Wind-Lass, our target destination the Bahamas. The boatyard put us in the water on Wednesday, January 8th and we spent the night at the dock, running a few final errands and setting our alarm for 5 a.m. for an early departure the next day.

At 7 a.m. on Thursday, January 9th, we untied the lines and eased off the dock under a pastel-colored sunrise.

It was really, really beautiful and at least a bit nerve-wracking.

But within a few minutes we were sipping coffee and scouting for the next channel marker guiding our path. It felt great to be back aboard and in the water. Next to the boat, dolphins even surfed in our wake.

Within an hour, we passed under the first bridge at Beaufort Inlet. With 65 feet of vertical clearance as the standard for ICW bridges, this is always a point of attention when you have a 64 foot, 2 inch mast like ours. And akin to distances over water, a mast against a looming bridge creates a scary-looking optical illusion (i.e. it always looks like it's going to hit the bridge). The key is pay attention to the tide and go when it's low, which we did with no problem at all.

About an hour later we passed under the Atlantic Beach Bridge on the ICW, adjacent to Morehead City. What happened next changed everything.

We were uneventfully motoring south in what we still believe to have been the middle the channel when the boat lurched to a stop, mud churning in the water against the hull. Scotty immediately switched into neutral and then attempted to free us. The depth alarm sounded, a frantic beep-beep-beeping, as we reversed and turned in circles to escape the suddenly shallow depths.

After what seemed like hours (in fact mere minutes later), we were able to drift freely and drift we did. Scotty shook his head in frustration, telling me he was unable to steer correctly. A series of reverse maneuvers helped us get clear of the middle of the channel to a safe point to drop anchor. And so, we reluctantly took advantage of our Boat US towing membership only- and exactly- a week after its purchase.

Given close proximity to our point of origin, for no additional charge the towing service brought us back to the boatyard that's become our temporary home. We were pulled out and at that point realized what had happened under the water. Sailboats steer by their rudders and ours was gone, a casualty of time's wear and the ICW's muddy banks.

Even though yesterday was tough day, in 24-hour retrospect, it's already been blessing in disguise. As some dear friends and boatyard sages have commented, it could've been worse, MUCH worse. We could have been in the middle of the ocean or in the Bahamas, our corroded and stressed rudder knocked off by a coral reef with no help or replacement options at all. It could have been far more costly even if had happened a few hundred miles down the waterway.

And so, we're grateful for silver linings and the really good people who were here in Beaufort, North Carolina to pull us back out of the water, put us in our original spot in the yard, and lend us advice. We even were gifted a North Carolina BBQ dinner by the kind boatyard owner, and all of this, we are SO grateful. There's a wonderful sense of community among boat people, even on land.

So, our "voyage" didn't turn out exactly like we thought it would, not even close. But we're not giving up, even if the Bahamas will have to wait until next year. Our adventures are far from over and if anything, we know our boat, ourselves, and each other even better.

More to come about the specifics of getting a new rudder and our improvised plans.