Knot Head

In the Dismal Swamp, at the free dock, we met the boat Knot Head. Bill, the owner, was single handing his 35 foot sailboat and asked if he could follow us. He’s from Baltimore and was trying to make it to the Bahamas.

I’m a big fan of having a buddy boat, and it paid dividends on the first day. When my strainer clogged with duck weed and I couldn’t get it cleaned, Knot Head was ready to tow me the rest of the way to Elizabeth City. It was a huge relief for me to know there was help if I needed it. And, I was ready to help him if he needed it.

Sue and I would do the daily route planning and we’d let Knot Head know where we’d be spending the evening. Either at anchor or marina. On several of of our marina visits, Knot Head would stay at a nearby anchorage.

When we anchored together, I’d drop the dingy and stop by his boat to chat or pick him up to go to shore. Since I had davits, it’s easier for me to drop the dingy than for him. He keeps his dingy on deck deflated.

Knot Head has a 6 foot draft, and we’re only 4.5, so I was the lead boat. I’d warn Bill about shallow water and I’d take care of the radio work with the bridges. He took care of our stern and would warn me if we had an unfriendly passer.

Larger power boats throw a huge wake that will rival the worst waves on the ocean. Most power-boaters will call on the radio and offer a slow pass. As they approach, you cut your throttle, and they slow down to pass you with minimal wake. Once they pass, you both speed up.

Not all captains are that nice. I could always count on Bill to give me a warning so I could cut them off before I got the killer wake. I also enjoyed his wit when he’d call the offending boat on the radio.

We’ve been buddy boating with Knot Head for a couple weeks and it’s been working out great. Unfortunately, we had to part ways today.

For those who follow our progress, you probably noticed we only made 10 miles on Sunday. Knot Head was having troubles, so we were lucky enough to be near Osprey Marina. We called and got slips and pulled in.

Somewhere in the Dismal Swamp, Knot Head hit a stump or log with his prop and it hasn’t been running right since. Bill’s a pretty good wrench and had been trying to diagnose the problem as we’ve been moving. He was hoping to make it to Florida, have the boat hauled out and have professionals fix it. Unfortunately, he only made it to Osprey Marina, about 10 miles outside of Myrtle Beach, before the noise from his transmission became ominous and he decided it would be best to pull into a marina.

Bill and I both thought it was going to be at least a week to get his transmission fixed in the best scenario, most likely longer. So, this morning we said our goodbyes, and Sue and I pulled out without Knot Head on our stern.