Alligator River and the Albemarle Sound

The Alligator River-Pungo River Canal is scenic and heavily wooded at it's upper end. Farther on are areas that have burned in the past, but now they have their second growth. The canal is relatively narrow, and boats dragging huge wakes have a tendency to damage the banks. Each year, more and more trees topple into the water.

The last six miles of the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal are shallow, especially along the south edge. We keep a close eye on the depth sounder and stick to the center of the channel and squeeze to the north side carefully as we pass the tug "Lisa Moran."

The Alligator River offers limited protection, especially in any northerly or easterly wind. It is not a spot to wait out a cold front passage, nor is a refuge if the Alligator River Bridge cannot open because of strong winds. It was a very rough fifteen mile passage, with winds gusting to 33 knots and no where to hide. Then the bridge tender informs the boats heading north that he might not open the bridge which would allow us to get to the marina on the other side. We were lucky that the bridge tender shift change brought in a new guy that opened the bridge.

Alligator River Marina is a well-protected harbor and the only fuel available along the 86 miles to Coinjock. We were so happy to be there after a rough day. It was in the middle of nowhere, but a safe port in the storm.

The marina office and restaurant was in the Shell station and they cooked up some mean fried chicken for Bob and fried soft shell crabs for me. Sorry, too tired for pictures.

"Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning" as we head out into the notorious Albemarle Sound. This is a large shallow sound that has a bad reputation for choppy seas. We headed out of the marina with four other boats with a 15 knot beam sea and we got the crap kicked out of us. When I say it moved furniture and everything packed in the v-berth came crashing, it was bad!

Coinjock Marina is the only stop traveling north and has become a well known place for of all things, it's 32oz. prime rib. So over martinis and prime rib (16 oz.) we swapped sea stories with our new found friends, Linda and Bill Daley on their way back to New Hampshire.

Bill and Bob at Coinjock Marina.

This is Jack, the marina mascot.

Coinjock is a relaxing, quiet place to reorganize and refresh before moving on.

Next stop is Norfolk, Virginia.

Oriental to Belhaven

As we left the safe harbor of Oriental Marina, we knew the weather was in transition, hopefully in our favor, so we head out into the Neuse River, which is a large open body of water and we had seven hours of travel time ahead of us.

The winds were light, out of the north, as we pulled into Belhaven on the Pungo River. Belhaven Waterway Marina is a charming, small family run dock and the owners, Brenda and Les, do everything to accommodate your needs.

The marina is a block away from downtown, of which half of the storefronts are vacant, a sign of tough economic times. In the background of this picture is the street and the back of the only fast food in town "Farm Boys". We got take out fried catfish and chicken strips.

There is an Ace Hardware that also sells wine and costume jewelry (I found that odd). There is a bank, drugstore, beauty salon (we both went there) and three restaurants (of which we went to all three) all within two blocks of the marina.

Time goes real slow at the One Stop Barber Shop and Salon. Like a scene out of "Steel Magnolias" three female hair dressers were teasing the hair of three very old ladies and talking about everyone in town. It was like out of another time and the only game in town, so Bob got a hair cut and I had color done. How does it look? Different.

In the morning, we walked to the only stop light in town and found O'Neals, the best and only place for breakfast. Everyone was very friendly.

We took a bike ride on the waterfront and it was a charming little town with a view of the river.

It was Saturday, so we passed families enjoying time together. I just can't imagine being a teenager in this town with no movie theater or stores. We passed a few hanging out on the front porch.

This is an abandoned house that was damaged in Hurricane Irene last year which brought in four feet of water into the town.

Many grand homes built in the later 1800's and early 1900's remain standing today. The largest of all is River Forest Manor, completed in 1904. It's first owner was John Wilkinson, president of Roper Lumber Company and vice president of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The mansion has 11 fireplaces with carved oak mantels, crystal chandeliers, and tapestries on the walls. This country inn is now closed. It looked very spooky. 

The evening ended with dinner at Georgie's Sport and Oyster Bar. It didn't look like much of a place but being Saturday night, the whole town packed the place with a very lively atmosphere. Have I said how friendly everyone is. Our waitress brought us complementary cheese and crackers (because we are new visitors) and after dinner she took our picture for their facebook page. Find that in Miami. The rib eye and steamed spicy shrimp were very good. It was a fun night.

We have been here two nights waiting for a weather front coming across the country. We missed home as we watched TV as the bad weather hit Florida.

It's a lazy, rainy Sunday as the front passes through North Carolina.

Samy agrees.

Wrightsville Beach to Oriental

Wrightsville Beach is old school, a family style beach that has fishing piers, municipal parks, surfing and a whole lot of boating.

We anchored off the ICW next to beach houses as far as the eye could see.

The next morning we head north and we hear on the VHF radio "Captain, prepare to be boarded".

Two young, muscular, Coast Guard guys boarded from our swim platform and were very polite. They asked for our documentation and ID. They casually asked about fire extinguishers, peeked in the engine room and bilge, and gave us the OK and no violations. They said we probably would not be boarded again and if stopped, just show them the paperwork. The next day we were stopped again. They let us go.

As we move north, we have been sharing the waterways with commerical traffic.

The sign says "Live firing in progress when flashing" as we pass through this portion of the ICW which is used as a Marine training base. We continue on and then we hear a gigantic boom as we both almost hit the ceiling! We wondered if we had read that sign correctly.

We pass surplus military equipment that has been fired on. We pick up speed.

We come into Morehead City Marina and take a ten minute taxi ride over to Beaufort, which is a small, historic waterfront town.

We stop into the North Carolina Maritime Museum which has an exhibit on North Carolina shipwrecks.

One section is on "Underwater Archeology" and another is on "Shipwrecks." Photographs and artifacts include what is presumed to be the wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's flagship.

The Historic Beaufort Site consists of 10 buildings, six of which have been authentically restored.

These restored buildings include early residences, a jail, and the oldest wood framed courthouse in North Carolina.

I have received a special request to include pictures of restaurants and the local delicacies, so let me tell you about Clawson's Restaurant in Beaufort, North Carolina. Built in the 1930's the building has served as a drugstore, five & dime, bar, and since the fifties, a local restaurant.

 Bob eagerly awaits another fine dining experience.

For those connoisseurs of Southern Cooking, I ordered a local favorite, "shrimp and grits" which doesn't taste at all like I thought it would. It's delicious. They mix up grits and cheese in one pan and saute onions, peppers, bacon and shrimp in another pan, and then pour it over the grits. How could that not be good?

Our next stop is the town of Oriental, a small port with many shrimp boats. We tie up next to and across from these big boats.

Life is slow here. We will be hangin out waiting for a weather front to pass. It's time to exhale. 

Southport, North Carolina

We enjoyed the amenities of Barefoot Marina and it's time to head north.

We leave North Myrtle Beach on a clear cold 41 degree morning, heading toward North Carolina.

This portion of the ICW parallels the ocean as we pass the Little River, Shallote, and Lockwoods Folly Inlets, which were flat calm and sparkling.

We are moving into the pricey beach neighborhoods where the recession doesn't seem to have damaged the construction business.

Miles of giant homes have been built recently on Holden Island, a strip of sand and marsh next to the ICW.

It only takes one picture to remind how vulnerable this retirement haven in North Carolina, is to another hurricane.

We enter Southport, originally named Smithville, after Benjamin Smith who served under Gen. George Washington in the Revolutionary War. What began as a small fishing and military town has blossomed into a community for retirees and commuters working in Wilmington.

Southport Marina is a beautiful spot on the Cape Fear River and we decide to bike around the town and see the sites.

Wait! Is that really Bob with a camera? No, It's his iphone, but that works.

 

 

Our self-guided tour takes us to Franklin Square Park, where concerts are held and night-time outdoor films are enjoyed. This restored historical building is the Associated Art Gallery of Southport.

The Southport Inn was build in 1864.

This one's for you, Charlie! This tower was built by the Wilmington, Cape Fear Pilot's Association. This tower was replaced in the 1940's by a steel structure, adjacent to the elevated two-story wooden building on the site. For over 250 years, pilots residing in Southport have spotted ships approaching the Cape Fear River, gone to meet them in small craft, guided them past treacherous shoals and brought them safely to port. Legislation to regulate pilots was established in 1751.

A beautiful day in North Carolina.