November 1 to November 8, 2004

Monday, November 1, 2004
Location: Midway Marina, Coinjock NC
Destination: Alligator River, NC

We awake to another nice, quiet, calm morning. As we prepare to depart Midway Marina at 6:30 a.m., we slip our lines from the dock and the strong current sweeps us immediately onto the pilings and headed for the stern rail of “Straight From the Heart,” the sailboat directly in front of us. I, Sandy, yell “Heads UP” to get their attention on deck to fend off and help us steer clear of their boat. All in all it was one of those incredibly tense moments but, fortunately, without incident. We underestimated the strength of the current at the docks. We will not make that mistake again, hopefully.

Once underway, we had sunny skies and temps of 85 degrees. We had to pass under a few bridges along the way. As we approached the first 65 foot bridge, Dave spotted a tug and barge headed northbound. Why, I wonder, do they always have to meet us at the bridges where we have limited maneuverability. I hail them on the radio to verify that we can safely pass port-to-port without incident.

The second bridge we encounter is a swing bridge that opens on request. We have to circle around a few minutes to wait for the bridge to open. As we begin our approach through the narrow opening of the bridge, I think the bridge is beginning to close so I have another moment of panic. Of course, the bridge wasn’t closing but sometimes as you pass through and your position changes, looks can be deceiving.

We arrive at an anchorage off Tuckahoo Point in the Alligator River. The approach is tricky so we keep a close watch on the depth sounder. We follow the suggestions in the anchorage guides and keep Grassy Point on our stern as we creep slowly through the dark waters toward the trees off Tuckahoo Point.

We get the dinghy ready and try to find a place to land the dogs. The only spot we could find was a bit of marshland in about 6 inches of water directly off Tuckahoo Pt. There are stumps and snags all around the area. I step off the dinghy into the water to help the dogs ashore and say a silent prayer that Alligator River is, in fact, free of alligators and other creepy crawlers. All in all, this is a beautiful and quiet anchorage, but not a great doggie stop says Tula.

I, Sandy, decide that this is a good opportunity to force the dogs to use the litter bucket. I convince Dave that we should not take the dogs ashore again at this location. I’m assuming that they will give in and use the bucket by morning.

We call it a night and tuck the “babies” into their beds. So far, no luck with the bucket.

Anchor Notes: We anchored in 9 ft. water at position N 35 40.3 W 076 05.6. Due to possible snags on the bottom, we use a trip line on the anchor.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Location: at anchor Alligator River
Destination: River Forest Marina, Belhaven NC

Election Day

We awake to dense fog so thick you can’t see beyond the bow of the boat. The dogs still adamantly refuse to use the bucket but going ashore at this time is impossible. We decide they will have to wait until we arrive at our destination. I’m still hopeful they’ll give in and use the bucket along the way.

We prepare the boat for departure and wait for the fog to lift. We get underway at 9:00 a.m. along with an entire line up of boats that make for slow-going along the first 10 miles of our route in the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal.

We arrive at River Forest Marina about 3:15 p.m. This is our first experience coming into fixed docks with pilings. The dockmaster is at the dock to help with the lines. My first attempt to throw him the bow line results with the line in the water. I quickly haul the line in and make a second (successful) attempt.

I quickly get ready to take the dogs ashore. I am horrified to discover that Jupiter is actually lying in the litter bucket, but still unable to let herself go. Tula, on the other hand, was clearly unable to hold it and had wet her bed and all of the blankets surrounding it. The room reeks of doggie urine. Ouch! I feel just devastated that I put the dogs through this ordeal. I promise to never push the bucket idea ever again. From here on out, Dave and I agree to limit our days travels to a distance no greater than 50 miles so the dogs are not forced to wait to do their business past a reasonable amount of time. In one of those strange coincidences, we meet another couple from Texas who just came in on their sailboat with dogs. They had a similar experience and reached the same conclusion. “It’s just too painful to make them wait! We’ll never push them again and limit all trips to 40 or 50 miles.”

Fortunately we are at a marina that has a laundry facility, which I will make full use of tomorrow morning. The dogs spend the night with us in our bed to reassure them and to relieve me of my guilt.

We listen to the radio most of the night to hear the election results coming in. By midnight we still don’t know for certain who has won the election but things are beginning to look very favorable for a George W. Bush re-election.

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Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Location: River Forest Marina, Belhaven N.C.
Destination: staying put

Today is clean-up day. Joop and Tula seem to have forgiven me, as I take them ashore to do their business and play in the grass. Dave and I then begin the chore of cleaning and disinfecting the boat. Fortunately I have full use of the laundry facility this morning. By early afternoon, everything is back in order.

We take the dogs for a good, long walk to check out our surroundings. Belhaven is a quiet, sleepy town. We take a side street and pass by a well-kept baseball diamond. The sign outside it says “No Pets, No Profanity, No Alcohol, and No Concealed Handguns.” I imagine that’s for the parents’ benefit. Since we don’t have cell phone or internet access here, we locate the town library so we can come back tomorrow and check our e-mail.

Early in the afternoon, we borrow the courtesy car to go to the Food Lion for provisions. The car was this cool, old, beat-up redneck car with a CB radio and a trunk that wouldn’t open. Of course, it also had no gas so we had to head straight for the nearest gas station, The Phillips 66. We find out that the Phillips 66 can refill our propane tank, so we plan to return the next day.

We pass the rest of the day quietly celebrating George’s re-election. We go to dinner at the marina restaurant and enjoy fried shrimp and southern fried chicken. You can just feel your arteries clogging as you swallow the greasy morsels but it sure does taste good, at least once in a while.

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Thursday, November 4, 2004

Location: River Forest Marina, Belhaven NC
Destination: staying put for one more day ..

The weather report is not favorable for moving on today so we decide to stay put and perform some boat maintenance. Dave spends the next 3 hours changing the engine oil and filter, and generator oil. We then take the courtesy car again and drop off the old oil at the River Forest Boatyard.

We head downtown to the Phillips 66 and get the propane tank refilled. From there we head over to the new Wine and Words store and restock the wine supply.

We then go to the library and check the e-mail and to get an updated weather report. It looks like tomorrow will be a favorable day to move on. We head back to the marina and take Joop and Tula for a nice walk.

We ate dinner at the restaurant for a second night but we did not enjoy it as much as the previous night. No anticipated crab cakes and no salad, but plenty of lima beans. The staff offered their apologies as the restaurant menu this time was quite limited due to the fact the most of the food was stored in a locker and the key was missing. By the time we headed back to the boat, it was raining heavily.

We settled in and climbed into bed. Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the hull. I, Sandy, rose to see who was out there since Dave was already fast asleep. It was Scott, the dockmaster, coming to say that he needed me to return to the office because they had made a mistake with our dinner bill. Reluctantly I get dressed and don my foul weather gear to head up to the office. As it turns out, the waitress had made a mistake in adding up the charges and had undercharged us by $14.00. If we weren’t willing to square things up for her, the office would dock her pay. As if I would let that happen. Anyway, I forked over the $14 bucks and headed back to the warmth of my bed, albeit a bit wetter than before.

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Friday, November 5, 2004

Location: River Forest Marina
Destination: South River Lukens, NC

We depart the River Forest Marina at 8:00 a.m. Winds are 15-20 kts. NW. We have to back out of the marina since it’s dead low tide and we have just under 6 ft. of water at the dock. Dave mutters something about only having 5 or 6 inches between our keel and going aground. However, we make good on our escape.

At 8:45 we deploy the JIB and sail first with a following sea and then with a crosscurrent. We easily traverse the Pungo River. By the time we reach the Pamlico River, winds increase to 18-22 kts. Suddenly a school of dolphins appears alongside our boat and ride the wake for a few minutes. It was an exciting minute, but they had moved along their way before Dave could get the digital camera out.

The remainder of the trip to the South River is fairly uneventful. We pass by Broad Creek, another possible anchorage, in favor of the South River anchorage near the abandoned town of Lukens. Although the South River anchorage is further off the ICW (approx. 4 miles), the water level is deeper than Broad Creek and there is an old bulkhead near the cemetery to land the dogs. And, as you well know, landing the dogs ashore at a decent location is now one of my highest priorities. We look forward to the peace and quiet that an abandoned town suggests.

We arrive at our anchorage early afternoon and drop the hook abeam of the cemetery. Dave decides to row ashore instead of mounting the dinghy engine. It’s a beautiful afternoon. We tie up to the bulkhead and walk through the old cemetery. The cemetery is overgrown with tall grass and moss-covered trees. We are surprised to see that some of the tombstones are recent. However, for the most part the graves are from the late 1800s and early 1900s and clearly family plots.

After dinner, we mount the dinghy engine and take the dogs ashore for a short walk and a little ball-catching time. We then spend a quiet night at anchor with only two other sailboats nearby.
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Saturday, November 6, 2004

Location: South River, Lukens, N.C.
Destination: Beaufort, N.C.

After checking the tide tables, we decide to get underway at 10:00 a.m. Since we have a little time, I cook up a nice pot of John McCann’s Steel Cut Oatmeal. This is a great meal to start off a day underway. It’s a true stick-to-your-ribs type of breakfast that can truly hold you over for a good long run.

The stretch along Adams Creek was really quite beautiful. There is an anchorage off the channel in Adams Creek around Mile 191 you can use in case conditions deteriorate along the way. Fortunately conditions were favorable for us to continue on to Beaufort so we did not take advantage of this stop.

From Adams Creek, we entered the Adams Creek Canal and continued south through the 65-foot clearance Core Creek Bridge. Currents at the bridge and immediately beyond are very strong here.

We then continued south to the Morehead City Highway Bridge (65-ft. clearance) followed immediately by a RR bridge that is usually open. This bridge has a very narrow opening and a strong crosscurrent so you must proceed cautiously.

We chose to take the long route around Radio Island since this was our first time here and it seemed like the safest approach. We were amazed at the number of small fishing boats in this area once we got beyond the bridge.

We hailed the Beaufort Town Docks and were directed in by the dockmaster, who was waiting at our slip to help us tie up to the dock. He suggested that Dave carefully make a single approach as we would have current directly on our stern. Dave did great and put us right alongside the dock. He also timed the tides perfectly as we arrived pretty near slack tide.

We got the boat settled and took the dogs for a walk to get a sense of our surroundings. Beaufort is a neat little town that reminds us of a waterfront community in Cape Cod. There are many little waterfront restaurants and shops to explore.

Finally for the first time in more than a week, we have both cell phone and internet access. We catch up on a few phone calls and respond to long-awaited e-mails.

Dave cooks up another fantastic Chicken Cacciatore and we enjoy the creature comforts afforded us by being tied to a dock.

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Sunday. November 7, 2004

Location: Beaufort Docks, Beaufort, N.C.
Destination: staying put today

A beautiful Sunday morning! We get up early and take the dogs for a good long walk along the waterfront. We then came back and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of eggs, ham, and beans. We then tend to a few cleanup duties. Joop is first to notice the Jack Russell terrier in a tree chasing a squirrel. She turns her head to the side and wonders how this dog got up into the tree. Tula is unimpressed.

Around noontime, Dave and I left the dogs aboard for a little while so we could check out a few of the shops and go out for a nice lunch. We first went to a Trading Co. where Dave bought a new hat and a Pirate T-shirt (Aaagghh). I bought a new pair of Teva’s, and got a really good price with a 30% discount since it’s now off-season. Ladies, don’t ya just love those end-of-season sales.

After lunch, we went back to the boat for a brief rest before heading out to locate a small grocery store. We need to find a place that sells Epsom Salt. Dave has a touch of conjunctivitis in both of his eyes. We’re hoping a few treatments with a hot compress will be enough to clear it up.

We find the grocery store up a few blocks on Turner Street and we find the Epsom Salt we need. We then head to a store that specializes in North Carolina wines and pick out a few bottles.

We head back to the boat. Dave and the dogs hang out on deck to enjoy the sunny afternoon. The dogs and Dave give this place 5 stars. Dave decides to not take my advice and go to the health clinic for his eye ailment. Rather, he then treats himself using a combination of Veterinary Use Only ophthalmic ointment he borrows from the doggie first aid kit, hot compresses, and eye washes with Johnson baby shampoo. I’m getting a little worried.

I spend the next hour or so poring over the cruising guides and charts to figure out all of the stops we need to make between here and Savannah, GA. We are planning to arrive in Savannah the day before Thanksgiving so we can meet up with Nicole, Doug and Emalie. I can’t wait to see them.

Nicole and Doug will cook up the turkey at their place and Dave and I will cook up all the fixins. It will be so great to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with family. Not to mention that Emalie is now 7 months old and I haven’t seen her since she was a month old. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can meet our schedule.
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Monday, November 8, 2004

Location: Beaufort Docks, Beaufort, N.C.
Destination: staying put (small craft warnings NE winds 25 Kts.)

Dave gets up early to get an updated weather report. He claims his eyes are now healed. Winds are expected to be gusting NE at between 20-25 kts. This is not ideal since the winds would be directly on our beam in a narrow channel. We decide to stay one more day to wait out the high-wind conditions and to insure that Dave can really see OK.

It’s a nice sunny and cool morning. Again we take the dogs for a good, long walk along Front St. When we return, we again review our trip planning for the next week or two and look at the currents to pick our best time for departure.

We decide to have lunch at the marina Town Dock bar since they gave us tokens for a couple of free draught beers. I’m a tad skeptical about the quality of the food but am pleasantly surprised when I order a grilled Mahi wrap that turns out to be absolutely delicious. Dave has the same impression with his grilled tuna sandwich.

We check out a few more shops and return to the boat to finish updating the log while we still have internet access.

Dave is once again busy in the galley. This time he is cooking up a nice chili for dinner. He looks out the porthole and notices some beautiful wild horses grazing along the beach across the creek. What a nice stop this has been.

Anchor Notes: Although we chose to tie up at the Town Docks, we notice that there is a lot of good anchorage room available in Taylor Creek just beyond the docks. There is also several dinghy docks where those anchored out can tie up to go into town. The current in the creek is very strong so we would need to put out a good amount of chain and make sure that we had plenty of swing room.

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TOTAL ACCUMULATED MILES TRAVELED: 901.1 statute miles
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