Tuesday, November 11, 2003
 We were up and ready to lock through on the 8:30 opening, but the lockmaster was
a little late. His son is his alarm clock and his son had no school
today, Veteran's Day. Pearce wore his Korea Veteran's hat in honor of the
day. We were the only boat through at this hour, and we had a nice
conversation with Robert Peek, the lockmaster, bridge tender, dam keeper,
gardener, maintenance worker, and whatever-else-is-needed. He played
several of his conch shells -- he plays a great "When The Saints Come
Marching In" -- and asked us to put out the word: he's looking for a Triton's
Trumpet conch shell. Anyone finding one please take the Dismal
Swamp Route and deliver it to Robert at the Deep Creek Lock.  We stopped at the dock
just past the bridge and visited the grocery and auto stores. As we
continued down the canal, it was a bit disconcerting to be traveling along a
quiet route and to suddenly hear the loud sound of a huge truck -- route 17
follows the canal and traffic zooms up and down the road. The hurricane
roared through here and downed many trees. The Dismal Swamp Canal was
closed for weeks while the trees and debris was cleared from the water. Reports are that the Army Corps of Engineers removed between 600 and 800 fallen
trees. We
had to watch carefully for logs and deadheads. There were several times
when we bumped submerged logs. An interesting note in Skipper Bob's
cruising guide came up about this time... at mile 20.9 Bob cautions: "A
farmer at mile 20.9 has permission to 'slide' a portable bridge across the
Dismal Swamp Canal to move his livestock and farm implements across the
canal..."  Bob goes on to say, "Be patient... when you get
there." Luckily no cows were crossing, so we breezed on by. Pearce took a
picture of the un-slud bridge.  We stopped for the day at the Visitor's
Center which is also the North Carolina Welcome Center. By the time
darkness fell, we were joined by five sailboats and three trawlers. The
dock is long enough for three boats, the rest are rafted. Since we intend
to leave at 7:30 to make the early morning opening at the next lock, it is going
to be very interesting as we all untangle.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
We woke up early, but Pearce tried to use his birthday to stay in bed
longer. He was born at 7:30 am, and he wanted to stay abed until that
time. Kay said he could celebrate his naissance by starting the engines
and following the three boats that had already left.  We
had breakfast and headed on down the Canal to the bridge at South Mills.
We were followed by two more boats, so there were 6 of us heading into the
lock. The trip down to the Pasquotank River was much better than
yesterday. The depths were better, and we only hit two hidden snags.
Pearce is a little wary of the vibration that has appeared. We probably
won't know until we reach Florida where we can check the props.
 We arrived in
Elizabeth City before noon and found a spot at their free dock at the Harbor of
Hospitality. Eight of the boats that were with us at the Welcome Center
arrived before dark. 5 more boats came in from the south. The
Rose Buddies host a wine and cheese party whenever there are 5 or more visiting
boats. The refurbished waterfront and docks were completed in 1983,
and it was soon after that Fred
Fearing and Joe Kramer decided to host a wine and cheese party to say
"thank you for visiting" to the boaters. Joe presented his
home-grown roses to the First Mates. This tradition has continued through
the years. Joe passed away in 1987, but his bushes have been transplanted
to the waterfront where Fred and some new Rose Buddies continue to greet the
visiting boaters and host the parties. 
Between docking and going to the wine and cheese party, we walked up to the
Quality Seafood where we had lunch ($2.99 for a crabcake sandwich) and bought
some large shrimp ($6.49 a pound) for dinner. 
We walked around the town that is recovering from the winds of Isabel. The
area was explored in 1585, but it wasn't until 1793 that Redding (Elizabethtown,
Elizabeth City) was settled. Wilber and Orville Wright arrived here
by train in 1900 and chartered boats to take them to Kill Devil Hills. The
Moth Boat was designed and built here in 1929 by Captain Joel Van Sant. Roots
author Alex Haley lived here and attended Elizabeth City State University where
his parents were instructors. Legend has it that even Blackbeard sailed
through the waters of the Albemarle area.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
The west wind came in this morning and began to blow the sand from the street
and the parking lot onto our boats. We had opened our windows to bring in
the fresh breeze, but we brought in a layer of dust. Yesterday we had the
air conditioner on. Tonight we'll have to turn on the heat. Luckily
we are on the southern edge of the wind storm that is covering the East Coast,
so our winds were 15 to 20 with gusts to 30. It was enough to churn up
Albemarle Sound and to keep the Alligator Bridge closed, and the winds will
probably continue through tomorrow. So we welcomed the time to visit more
of Elizabeth City.
 We spent the morning
cleaning up the boat. We had lunch at the Wine Seller and Deli, and
Pearce walked across the drawbridge to the Pelican Marina to look for parts to
the hand grip that deteriorated and snapped one day when he was jumping
aboard. The wind caused a power outage in town for a few hours. When
the lights came back on, we walked around the business and old residential
areas. The local movie theatre (first run) opens an hour early and serves
hamburgers and beer. Kay didn't care for the Matrix Revolution, so
we hope the movie will change before we leave. It's been several months
since we've had time to enjoy a movie. We bought a few trinkets and some
groceries and returned to Kibon for dinner.
Friday, November 13, 2003
Still blowing! No way Alligator Bridge is opening today, so we spend another day
in "The Harbor of Hospitality". Fred Fearing says he spoke with
the Mayor about possibly copywriting the name... "Before all kinds of other
towns steal it." So far there hasn't been any progress on this front.
But regardless of who may or may not "steal" the title, Elizabeth City
owns it and rightfully so. Hospitality is built into this place! There is
a walking tour of the various historical districts with a guide that describes
227 different buildings built from the 1790s through the 1930s. We walked
through the downtown district and part of the early residential district.
We didn't take our bicycles off the boat, but perhaps on another stop we'll be
able to wander farther out. We visited the Arts Council Gallery where
local artists' works are available. The town is renovating a larger store
where there will be art classes in addition to expanded space for displays
for arts and crafts. The second story is the old Opera House
which will be renovated for the Encore Theater. The Rose Buddies hosted
another wine and cheese party. Most of the boats will be leaving tomorrow,
so it was time to say, "Goodbye until the Spring," to our hosts.
Next: Albemarle Sound, Alligator River,
Pungo and Pamlico on to Oriental. --or-- Back to
Log Index
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Cruisin' The Loop Aboard Kibon