Being first-time sailors with little experience, our insurance company required us to be north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, during hurricane season. This runs from July 1st to November 1st each year. So, in order to comply with this stipulation, our plan was to head north from Charleston, South Carolina, and head to the Chesapeake Bay for the summer.
We left Charleston on June 18, 2023 for the three day, three night passage. We went far enough east out of the Charleston Bay to hit the Gulf Stream. Then we rode that all the way to Virginia. Because of the strong northerly current in the Gulf Stream, we made good timing and actually got there in three days and two nights. Two of the days were very calm with little wind, requiring us to motor sail. We did get some good sailing in, however. We were pleased with speeds of 10.5 knots for a good portion of our trip. That Gulf Stream is amazing if you’re heading north.
We rounded Cape Hatteras in the evening with no issues. The weather window for this journey was perfect and we never experienced more than 2-3 foot seas.
We arrived at the Chesapeake Bay Inlet a few hours before sunset, just in time to make our way to an anchorage in Hampton, Virginia. We were ready for some good quality sleep and were so thankful to have arrived in safety!
