Fairfield Harbor - Day 8

Day 8
9/21/15

With predicted NW winds at 10-15 knots, which would blow directly up the Neuse River, we decided to leave River Dunes early this morning.  Coming out of the marina we were almost immediately buffeted by wind-driven waves directly on our beam.  We had to go about a mile in this direction to clear a nearby shoal before turning up river, and the ride was quite rough until I was able to turn the boat and get the wind and waves to our stern.  Then the ride smoothed out and in a couple of hours we reached Northwest Creek Marina in Fairfield Harbor near New Bern, NC.

I got the name of a good marine electronics technician from the marina office.  I called him and he came aboard to diagnose and repair a problem I was having with my depth sounders.

David and Terri called a neighbor to pick them up so they could get their car and took us back to their house for an evening of Maryland crab cakes and relaxation.

This will probably be the last blog post for a couple of weeks.  We are going to hang out here for a few days, then go to Cary, NC to pick up our grandson Owen to take him to a Ravens game in Baltimore for his birthday present.  After that we go back to Cary, drop off Owen, and pick up our granddaughter Maria to take her to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, NC for her birthday present.  After that it's back to the boat!

Headed for Oriental, NC - Day 7

Day 7
9/20/15

 In the morning we got up and use Joseph's car to drive 25 miles to the nearest Catholic Church in Washington, NC for 8:00 AM Mass.  Sharon and I, Dave and Terri, and the three kids went to Mass while Joseph and Kristin slept in.

After church Joseph's family packed up and headed for home.  We got the boat ready and headed for the River Dunes Marina near Oriental, NC.  The ride was uneventful, water relatively calm and when the wind did pick up after entering the Neuse River it was coming from behind, making for an easy ride.

We docked late afternoon at the River Dunes Marina near Oriental, NC.  This is the most upscale marina we have yet to experience.  Great floating docks, dockhands that actually know what they are doing, and wonderful showers.

Due to our 17 foot beam we were directed to the "A" dock where we docked among all the "mega yachts".  It's the first time our boat felt small!

Above is the marina office, below is the marina swimming pool.

The marina had a nice complimentary loaner car, so we took it into the town of Oriental for dinner.  We went to one of the recommended restaurants in town and when we walked in I thought that it may have been a mistake.  The entrance was right at the bar and the greeter handed us menus and said, "There are the specials on the board beside you, read 'em." and then told us to seat ourselves wherever we wanted.

We placed our orders and I have to say, the restaurant was not a mistake!  The food was wonderful and the waitress was very attentive.  I had a pound of very fresh steamed shrimp and a "side salad" that could have served as a meal itself.  Sharon had seared tuna, David had seafood lasagna and Terri had a huge Mediterian salad.  Everyone raved about the food.  We will definitely go back when we come this way again.  If you are ever in Oriental, NC do yourself a favor and go to the M&M Cafe!

The ICW 87th Anniversary Celebration in Belhaven - Day 6

Docked Belhaven, NC
Day 6

Since we had decided to stay an extra day for Belhaven's festival of the 87th Anniversary of the opening of the Intracoastal Waterway, we decided to give our son Joseph who lives in Cary, NC to see if he and the family would like to come down for the day.  They did, so we all attended the festival enjoying the local arts and crafts vendors, musicians, and  antique boats and cars.  We got to take a tour of the classic 1966 Trumpy Motor Yacht "Windrush".  Trumpy built high-end yachts for the rich and famous inlcuding on that was used by several US Presidents.  This one was not built for a President, but was very impressive nonetheless.

After the festival we took our three grandchildren to a local playground and then had a nice overnight "on the boat" visit them while Joseph and Kristin stayed in a local B & B.

Onward to Belhaven, NC.

Day 5
9/18/15

We got up early again to get underway this morning because the weather forecast had changed overnight and we were looking at possible rain later in the morning.

The drawbridge had to open for us to pass, and we headed on down the Alligator River.  We then went into the 22 mile long Alligator-Pungo Canal which connects those two rivers.  After reaching the Pungo River we soon approached Belhaven, NC.    As we approached, we passed another PDQ 34 going North.  Since there were only 114 of these boats built is seems amazing to me to keep running into others in our travels.

We arrived at the newly renovated River Forest Marina where we were told that the town was having their festival of the 87th Anniversary of the opening of the Intracoastal Waterway the next day, so we decided to stay another day so we could attend the festival.  I never knew that the Intracoastal Waterway was officially opened upon the completion od the Alligator-Pungo Canal, which we had just traversed.

We got docked and hooked up at the marina and then took a tour of the small town of Belhaven using one of the complimentary golf carts provided by the marina.  This is a very nice facility with newly built restrooms, showers, and even a free laundry for cruisers!  We also walked around inside of the River Forest Manor House which is also under renovation to be used as an events facility.   Local investors are really putting a lot of money and work into this town in an effort to make it a world-class destination resort.

Crossing the Albemarle Sound

Day 4
9/17/15

Today we got up at the break of dawn to try to take advantage of the typically calmer water on the sound early in the day.

The boat was running great with its newly cleaned props and our crossing was fast and uneventful since the water was relatively calm on the sound.  The Albemarle Sound is known as often being one of the most challenging sections of the entire Intercoastal Waterway, and our previous experience with the sound confirmed that, so we were glad to have an easy crossing.  

We arrived fairly early to the Alligator River Marina on the other side of the of the sound where my brother David and his wife Terri met us.  They live in New Bern, NC and are cruising with us until we get them back to New Bern.  We wound up using their car to go to dinner in a nearby town at a very nice restaurant because the cafe at the marina did not seem very receptive to serving dinner to us there.  Go figure.  The Alligator River Marina may be a convenient stop, but I think we'll avoid it for overnight stays in the future if we have a choice.

Hanging Out in Elizabeth City, NC

Day 3
9/17/15

Today was a "no travel" day.  I needed to find a diver to get the props and rudders cleaned of the barnacles that were slowing us down.  I was finally able to find someone who was willing to short haul the boat and clean the props for less than I had paid the last diver, so I hired him.

The people who had been behind us in the Dismal Swamp Canal who also had two Border Terriers showed up and we had some nice conversations comparing notes on our dogs.  They also gave us some leads on where we may want to stay in Florida when we arrive.

Sharon and I walked to the local CVS for some supplies and also took a walk around town.  We had some visitors come by the boat, one of whom also owned a PDQ 34!  Several people came aboard to check out the boat.

It was late afternoon by the time I could move the boat to the lift for prop cleaning, so while the dogs and I went to take care of that Sharon went to the free wine and cheese party given by some locals for visiting cruisers.  Then she went to a wine tasting and a food pairing event at a local restaurant where she had supper.  After getting back from having the props cleaned I had microwaved hot dogs and sauerkraut for supper.

The Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabeth City, NC.

Day 2

9/15/15

We left the free dock at the beginning of the Dismal Swamp Canal route at 7:45am so we could make the 8:30 lock opening into the canal.  The lock raises the boat from the water level in the creek up 8 feet to the canal level.  We were second in line at the lock and two more boats came up behind us.  After we got into the lock we realized that the tug style boat behind us also had two Border Terriers aboard.  We found out that the husband and wife team on that boat lives only about 20 minutes from us in Saluda, VA and they boat out of Urbanna, VA.  Small world!

Robert, the lockmaster at this lock, was very friendly and helpful.  After he helped each boat to tie up on the lock wall he explained to each one of us what to expect during the locking process.  Then he raised the water level in the lock and while that was going on he gave us each a short history of the canal and asked us if we reached Key West or the Bahamas to please bring him back a conch shell to add to his collection in the front yard of the lock office.  

Then he gave us a serenade on a conch shell horn and let us proceed.

The canal is 22 miles long and boat speed is limited in the canal to “no wake” speed, about 6-7 mph.  

We made it to the Visitor Center, which is about 4 miles before the end of the canal.  Since we were running a little ahead of schedule for the 1:30pm lock opening 4 miles further down the canal we decided to stop at the visitor center and walk the dogs and have lunch.  

After lunch we went on to the end of the canal and our timing was perfect, we were able to go right through the draw bridge just before the lock which had been opened for the boat ahead of us without even slowing down.   After locking 8 feet down to river level, we followed the beautiful upper Pasquotank River 18 miles downstream to 

Elizabeth City, NC where we docked at the municipal marina.

They were so happy to see us they threw us a party with a live band!

Our Adventure Begins!

Day 1

9/14/5

We left Southall Landings Marina in Hampton for the last time about 11:30 am, naturally later than we wanted.  As soon as we were in open water it was immediately apparent that we had barnacle growth on the propellers in spite of having had a diver clean them just a little over a month ago.  I tried calling several marinas in Norfolk, but had no luck getting a diver on short notice.  Since our speed will be limited to “no wake” all through Norfolk and through the Dismal Swamp Canal, I decided not to worry about it until we get to Elisabeth City, NC and hopefully we can get a diver to clean the bottom while we’re there for a couple of days.

As we headed to Norfolk we saw a submarine leaving the Navel base and headed out to sea.  This is the first time I’ve seen this.

Going through Norfolk we saw the naval base and a ferry, many navy ships being refitted, and finally we reached the cutoff to the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Since we missed the last lock opening for the day we found a free dock and tied up for the night.