We stayed in St Mary’s long enough for their Christmas parade.
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4
Blessings…Greg and Lyn
We had a wonderful thanksgiving! We joined other cruisers for a potluck in the dining room of a local restaurant that’s closed on Thanksgiving Day. We were blessed by their generosity. The local yacht club provided turkey and ham. Cruisers brought the sides and desserts. It was a great time of meeting old friends and making some new ones.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! 1Chr 16:10
Blessings…Greg and Lyn
Sailing offshore, heading south.
Sunset
Sailing under a full moon.
Fishing and catching!!
Glorious sunrise!!
Crossing paths.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! 1Chr 16:10
Blessings…Greg and Lyn
Our afternoon entertainment in the anchorage!!
He quieted the sea with His power
Leaving Lookout Bight pre-dawn is our normal pattern. This time we opted for a short run down the coast to Wrightsville Beach, just inside Masonboro inlet. Only 70 miles. But we like to arrive places in daylight so that often means getting underway in darkness. That’s one of the reasons we like the bight. Easy in and out even in the dark.
Sunrise. Always a beautiful sight!
Our friends, the dolphins, playing in the bow wave
But if not…
One of favorite spots on the east coast is a little bight surrounded by sand dunes just south of Cape Hatteras.
After Becca was picked up by her parents, we headed out to Lookout Bight to stage for heading offshore down the coast.
The Bight is usually calm, filled with dolphins (and one time a whale) and is easy to enter and exit, even in the dark. Of course, having Lookout Point lighthouse right there is a real bonus!
Shrimp boats hang out in the bight to catch a bit of sleep
And the seagulls know all about the shrimp boats!
The lighthouse. Can never get enough
But if not…
Photo credit Damien Wagaman
We were so blessed to have our oldest granddaughter, Becca, onboard with us for the month of October! We sailed, played games, ate lots of yummy food, learned knot tying, boat jargon, how to tell time with a ships bell clock, listened to music, had math and history lessons, read books…so many books … and laughed together!! We absolutely loved having you Becca!!! We thank God for the special time we had with you! We hope you’ll come again!! WE MISS YOU!!!
He quieted the sea with His power
From Elizabeth City, our route takes us through the Alligator River (no alligators) to one of our favorite anchorages: Tuckahoe Point. It’s not the middle of nowhere, but you can just about see it from there. Clear skies (except for a few anchor lights), no cell service, and no buildings anywhere in sight. It all combines for a great spot for stargazing. Becca won the prize for most celestial bodies identified, but only because she nailed all the planets right at twilight. Of course, we had to turn it into a navigation/math lesson explaining how to determine latitude from Polaris (the North Star).
In the morning, some patchy fog greeted us. The heaviest patch, of course, was right at the entrance to the Pungo Canal. We crept slowly through and the visibility soon improved for the 3 hr trip down the canal.
With a threat of a cold front looming, we decided to make it a long day and pushed all the way to Broad Creek off the Neuse River. Tucking up into a nice, secure spot, we sat out the blow for a couple of days before heading down Adams Creek toward Beaufort NC.
“Why won’t it go in a straight line?” Becca did a great job on the helm in all sorts of conditions, including a particularly nasty day on the Neuse River. We’ll done!
The E City blimp hangar. No blimps in sight this year. Still an impressive building!
A foggy morning on the Pungo Canal. Markers and colored pencils got a good workout.
Eagle-eyed Becca spotted the bald eagle lurking in the tree along the Pungo Canal.
The Albemarle has the most unusual small fishing skiffs we’ve seen. Drive stations up high and forward. Outboards tucked in wells up near the bow. Function over form.
Big shrimp boats, up close.
Arms down to steady the boat. Thankfully, no nets trailing.
“Harbor of Hospitality” is the self-proclaimed nickname of Elizabeth City. They sure make it true for visiting cruisers. Free docks, free WiFi at the docks, a water spigot for filling tanks and short (relatively) walks to essential places like restaurants, hardware stores and DQ.
As long as the wind isn’t out of the southeast, the docks are well protected. This year, it was a great stop. Plenty to walk around and see. Other boaters to meet and talk with. And, of course, DQ….
Tied up at the free docks in Elizabeth City, right in the heart of the downtown waterfront district. We get on and off climbing over the bow pulpit and then easing on the sea wall.
The Museum of the Albemarle. A great museum with new displays each time we visit.
Following the history of the Albemarle through the ages.
“2 brake pedals!? No way!”
Ye olde smokehouse.
Sure looks like a lot of work
But if not…
The Dismal Swamp. People seem to either love it or hate it. Maybe it’s the name. Maybe it’s the brown water. Or maybe it’s the not infrequent deadheads (waterlogged logs) lurking on the bottom of the 6 ft deep canal just waiting to thump into the bottom of the keel ensuring that everyone aboard is wide awake.
We love it. It’s always one of the highlights of our trip south. The scenery is peaceful, the other boaters that raft up at the Visitors Center are friendly and the pace is a lot slower than the Virginia cut route a little farther to the east.
This year was the first trip since Robert Peek, our favorite lock master, passed away and we missed him, his stories about the history of the area and his masterful conch horn music. But the new lock master was just as friendly and skilled.
We spent the first night just inside the lock on Elizabeth’s Dock, next to a small park that was great for walking. Then it was on to the visitors center where we rafted with 7 other boats.
Calm and beautiful
Leaving Elizabeth’s dock and heading thru the drawbridge
A favorite pastime. Becca always had 2 or 3 books going: biographies, history, novels, even brochures about the local area.
Leaving Virginia, entering North Carolina
One of the many knots mastered. This one was also renamed from throwing a clove hitch on a piling to “the piling knot.” Makes sense to us!
With practice came mastery and confidence
Forget the rabbit, the hole and the tree. Becca learned the right right way to tie a bowline
A job well done!
Clove hitch, figure eight, bowline, piling knot, plus how to properly coil a line. Not a bad repertoire!
But if not…
