Saturday, November 14, 2003
Pearce got up as the sun was rising so that he could start the generator and try
to get the temperature out of the 50s. He reported that some of the boats
were already showing signs of leaving. We snuggled back under the covers
for an hour and were among the last to leave. We looked at the historic
houses along the riverside and passed the Coast Guard Station.
Pearce said that a few years back when the Coast Guard was downsizing and wanted
to close the station on Long Island, they  said that planes from this station
would cover the New York area. That's a long distance to cover when
there's an emergency. Thankfully, the Coast Guard changed its mind.
Further on down the Pasquotank we spotted the huge dirigible hanger that is big
enough to house 6 dirigibles. This is where all the dirigibles here in the
United States are built -- all except the Goodyear one. There were two
hangers, but one burned down a few years ago. Even so, it's an impressive
sight.
The trip across Albemarle Sound was a little rocky, and we had to secure
everything again. We had bought those sticky tie-downs from West Marine
for the TV and the printer. The first ones broke when we were in the ocean
off the Delmarva Peninsula, and we figured the TV was too heavy for the
strap. Now we found that the straps on the small TV and the printer (which
is really lightweight) have also broken. The only thing that  seems to be
holding is the sticky part that goes on the counter (even that came unglued on
the side of the TV). As we neared the other side of the Sound we began to
see lots of sailboats and a few trawlers beginning to gather. The tender
at the Alligator Bridge has a great deal of patience and a lot of
personality. She would open the bridge every 10 to 15 minutes, just as
soon as 3 or 4 boats would gather. Once there was a lot of traffic waiting
for the boats, but the cars had to be patient, too. We passed 10 or more
sailboats as we headed down the Alligator River, but most of them caught up to
us by late afternoon when everyone anchored around the corner before the
Canal.
Sunday, November 15, 2003
Same scenario as yesterday morning with one variation -- Kay got up to turn on
the heat. By the time we had a nice hot breakfast, all the boats
that had
anchored for the night were underway.  We even saw two more go by -- they
must have stayed at the south end of the Alligator River. We all headed
down the Canal which is lined with stumps of cypress trees. There were a
few logs floating, and we passed a HUGE pile of logs that had been pulled from
the canal after Isabel. Pearce said, "That's one big beaver
dam." There's a dredging operation along several miles of the canal
around mile 120. As we neared the end of the canal, we began to pass all
the sailboats that had left ahead of us. One is from Nova Scotia -- maybe
they don't think this weather is too cold! We pulled out of the line at
Dowry Creek to buy some diesel. Since we needed over 300 gallons, it was
$1.03 a gallon. We also filled up on water -- Kay washed her hair this
morning -- and continued on our way. Most of the sailboats were headed
into Belhaven, but we continued on down the Pungo River and crossed the Pamlico
River. The crossing was so calm that Pearce suggested that we head east
and go around and down Pamlico Sound to the Neusse River.   Kay
disagreed with this thought and pointed out that we could end up watching the
sunset before we reached Oriental, NC. We crossed the Pamlico River and
headed up Goose Creek. Some of the boats we had been moored with this
morning were anchored in little creeks -- they'll probably pass us again
tomorrow. We'd decided to tie up at RE Mayo, Co's shrimp fishing
dock. There were three sailboats already tied up there, one seems to be a
permanent attraction, but the other two were from Solomon's, MD. The
docking price is $.20 a foot plus another $.10 for electricity. The
company is closed on Sundays, so there is no one to collect our money. The
electrical outlets look like they could produce a fire so we'll depend upon our
generator. Maybe we'll find some answers tomorrow when the shrimp boats
come in. A sailboat started to tie up but decided it did not like the accommodations.
Skipper Bob said the "docks need repair" but they look fine where we
are. Pearce was happy because he could put the satellite dish on a dock so
he could watch the end of the football games and see 60 Minutes. We think
we'll go to bed early tonight because we may be awakened at dawn tomorrow when
the shrimp boats come in and start unloading their catch.
Monday, November 16, 2003
Pearce must have gotten up with the sun because by 7 am he had paid our $8
dockage fee, chatted with the "old boys" in the office, cast off our
lines, and we were again underway with the two sailboats following behind.
For once we left before the sailboats! As we left the river we passed by
the Pamlico tow with its barge heading north. This was the tow we
had heard yesterday as he tried to get the attention of some sailboats (probably
the two we'd spent the night with). He wanted them to move over so he
could pass them, but they didn't have their radios on. Pamlico Sound was
beautiful, but it was difficult to see because we were headed directly into the
sun. We made the turn to the south into the Neuse River, caught up to two
more sailboats, and were passed by two fast cruisers. We arrived in
Oriental by 9:30 am and headed to the free town dock. There's only room
for two boats there, and both sides of the pier were occupied by two sailboats
we'd been with in Elizabeth City. They'd put in two long days to get this
far. We rafted up with the Kentucky Woman and went ashore to get our
mail. Skipper Bob's book said the post office was just a quarter mile
away, but that was before they moved it a few years ago. Now it is
three-quarters of a mile up the road. Pearce returned to the boat to read
the mail while Kay stopped in all the shops.   We had called Bob and Eulene
Smith earlier, and they said they'd meet us and guide us in to their dock.
They pulled up to the town dock just as Kay got back there. Bob and Pearce
took the boat to their house while Eulene and Kay stopped at a local restaurant,
M & M, where many of Eulene's counted cross-stitch works of art are hanging
for the holidays. The owner of the restaurant has a changing display of
local talent, and Eulene and three other local ladies have more than 50 pieces hanging
here. They are all beautiful.
Bob and Pearce maneuvered Kibon through the mud to the dock behind the Smith's
house. Kibon pushed a lot of mud aside and settled in next to the
dock. We secured the boat with some lines because we expect some heavy
weather to come in, but we weren't moving anywhere. Bob had sold his big boat
several years ago and the Neuse River mud has multiplied profusely. Kibon was
very safely bedded down for the coming nor'easter.
Next: The Big Blow in Oriental and on Southward
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Cruisin' The Loop Aboard Kibon