Back Creek

One of the nice things about cruising is not getting off the boat. Today (9/15/2016) finds us anchored in nine feet of water in Hunting Creek. We have been here before and did not get off then. The first time was to wait out a predicted cold front. It proved to be real. Huddled behind the small island that graces the creek’s entrance the storm raged around us. The island and its trees protected us from the storms multiple incursions from the NW.

This time the weather was coming from the NNE, so we opted for the other side of the creek. Here we anchored about 100 feet off a few houses and piers. There were still plenty of trees to block the worst of the wind.

Between the gaps in the foliage, I could see the ripe orange-brown of a dried cornfield. Other than the few people that made noise on shore the first night and the early risen crabber the creek was quiet.

A distinct line on the shores buttressing rocks marks the going of the tide. These rocks have been placed there to prevent further erosion. Where the rabble of rocks ends a more enterprising homeowner has had a wall of pilings and planks constructed to keep their property from becoming part of the mud that Carrie Rose’s anchor is firmly dug into.



Many grand trees cling to the shoreline's remaining soil. Their exposed roots drive deeper into the remnants of the earthen banks but I fear time is running out for them. The rising tide has recently become alarmingly higher than in the past, and due to the raising sea level large oceanic storms cause more damage in an afternoon then the tide could in a hundred years.



It is hard to comprehend what is happening. Of course, I am not an expert in these matters, only a casual observer on a cool cloudy day, on a quiet back creek, on the Miles River.