October 23rd- Dismal Swamp Welcome Center to Elizabeth City, NC
We had found a spot on the Dismal Swamp pier but it quickly filled up. Before dark I saw another boat coming down the canal. There is no other place to go so I put out a fender and waved. We had a laugh when the boat approached. Another Cape Dory 28, Wayfinder. The same type of boat as ours. Homeport: Menemsha, MA. Menemsha is on Martha’s Vineyard, which is near our home port. We talked boats and equipment. The Captain of the other boat is a rigger with a lot of sailing experience.
So far, on this entire trip, we have not run into one boat (heading south) that is of a size comparable to ours. They all seem much bigger and faster. The night before at Elizabeth’s Dock we met a couple on a Bristol 29, Pagu Club. The next morning, Pagu Club showed up and we had a small flotilla of little old boats going down the canal.
At the south end of The Dismal Swamp Canal is the South Mills Lock and draw bridge. The green goop got thicker. We went through the lock. Our elevation dropped around 10 feet and we all entered Turners Cut, another old canal. This eventually leads to the Pasquotank river. This area is all forested swamp lands. The knot weed (green goop) seemed to be almost thicker. Eventually we had to stop. Our sea strainer was hardly moving any water through it (vital to the engine). I emptied the strainer of knotweed and we were back on track. Our companion boats did the same. It was nice motoring along with company for the day. We informed each other of logs or other obstacles. We still managed to hit a few big pieces of wood but no damage was done. I saw a Bald Eagle for the first time.
Thick green water.
A path on the Pasquotank ?
We followed the winding Pasquotank River down to Elizabeth City. Over the past few days we’ve met up with a few different boats that have mentioned the hospitality of the Mid Atlantic Christian University. When we approached the docks we were waved down by a dock hand and the crew of Steadfast, whom we met at Hampton and one of the Dismal locks. Wayfinder and Pagu Club also docked at the university for the night. I am not very religious. I was not hit by a lightning bolt. The dock master was very welcoming. They have a fine university and campus. They allowed us to stay at the dock and use the showers. I’ve heard the breakfast in the cafeteria is very good but we moved on in the morning.
We have bugs in New England. Once, while anchored in Tarpaulin Cove, we were swarmed with biting flies. Gnats can be annoying at times. We experienced southern mosquitoes at Elizabeth City. The boat was swarmed. We have screens and netting that worked pretty well once deployed. Eventually we killed off the stragglers that made it inside Catalpa. I washed mosquito carcasses off of the deck in the morning. Verry buggy.
Catalpa and crew at MACU
October 24th- Elizabeth City, NC to South Lake, NC (Alligator River)
Our exit from Elizabeth City was primarily due to a perfect day to cross the Albemarle Sound to the Alligator River. I’ve been told to avoid the sound if there was any kind of wind/ weather problem. It is shallow and can kick up big waves. We had a few options for a final destination but after consulting the charts, we decided on anchoring in South Lake. One word describes it well: ISOLATION.
We had to negotiate an unmarked entrance. We threaded our way into the lake using my navigational software. No cars, no houses, no planes, no boats. There was no sound other than the whistling of the wind through trees and an occasional gull. We both agreed that this was one of the most remote locations we’ve been in.
Oliver’s commando run to the shore was interesting. My electronic chart had some weird information about a small canal, with a boat ramp, at the end of a gravel road. What! Nothing is here. Why would there be a canal out in the middle of nowhere? I poked around the shore using my GPS. Eventually I found an opening in the grass, a very narrow canal, a small place to land a boat, and a gravel road. I have no answers. Oliver was very happy with the situation. We played ball. The gravel road was very long and straight. At some point I noticed the sun reflecting off of a vehicle in the distance. It was coming up the gravel road. We hightailed it out of there. I’m not sure why.
Desolate coastline.
An opening in the grass?
A canal?
A happy dog on a gravel road.
The dinghy (recently dubbed Sputnik) on the road.
October 25th- The Alligator River to the Pungo River
The sun rose. The mosquitoes flew away. We fired up the diesel and went down the Alligator River. During the day we were often passed by other boats so we weren’t completely alone. Having said that, the shore line was mostly swamp jungle and there were no signs of civilization for most of the day. We went under the Alligator River bridge, early in the day, but it was hard to imagine just where that road might go. We saw no Alligators.
About mid day on the Alligator I felt like I was slammed in the head by a wall of sound. I just managed to look up before it happened again. Ollie, at the time sleeping on deck, dove for cover inside Catalpa. Fighter Jets. The first few seemed to be chasing each other. They would shoot down the river and then soar straight up into the clouds. I don’t know if we saw 20 jets, or if it was the same few zooming around in circles. They are extremely fast (especially when you’re traveling at 5 knots). Lynne tried to photograph them but they were just too fast for auto-focus. My guess is, due to the lack of population, the Alligator River is a good place to practice low flying maneuvers. It was exciting. We could have used some hearing protection though.
We were going to stop but since we were making good time we decided to push on down the Alligator – Pungo canal. Much of the canal is forested. As we got Closer to the Pungo River there were a few highway bridges and homes. Back to civilization.
Alligator – Pungo canal
We got to the end of the canal and anchored in the Pungo River for the night.
October 26th- Pungo River anchorage to Belhaven, NC
When anchoring last night I noticed an odd tapping sound coming from the engine/ prop shaft area. This was only when the engine was spinning at low RPMs. Odd tapping sounds are never a good thing. In the morning I had maintenance on my mind. To get at the back of the engine, you have to empty out our large cockpit lockers. This is analogous to emptying the garage to see the car. Fenders, dock lines, spare anchor, and parts all have to be loaded up on deck. I then have to shimmy down into the locker and maneuver myself upside down. I used to wonder if I’d ever make it out again. I’m used to it now (and I’ve lost weight). What could have been a big problem was only a small one. Just something loose. I tightened the offending part down. I also tightened everything else I could reach. We were off anchor by 10:00 and ready to move on.
Belhaven wasn’t originally on our itinerary but I was told it was a nice town and they like cruisers. We’re expecting weather tomorrow. We’re also low on diesel and ice. It’s warm. We figure we’ll stay a day or so.
Upon entering Pantego Creek we found the appropriately named River Forest Marina. They helped us tie up to their big pier and we filled up everything. 4 dollars for 40lbs of ice. Great price. We then anchored further up the creek near the center of town.
Belhaven is a nice, sleepy, little town. Much of it is closed on the weekend. People are hospitable. While standing outside of the Spoon River restaurant, the owner came outside to meet Oliver. She went back inside and came out with a free bottle of wine for us. I decided to buy an additional bottle for another night. She made us a poundcake dessert (absolutely delicious) and cooked up some bacon for Ollie (we all had bacon with breakfast). We were also offered the use of a golf cart if we needed additional provisions. As I mentioned earlier: people like cruising gypsies here. We also got some supplies at a large, well stocked, hardware store. We then toured a antique/ art market – Coastal Cottage Life & Boutique . They have a book room and cafe upstairs. Free WiFi and self-serve coffee. We’ll be back for books, coffee, and to upload this post.
October 27th- Belhaven, NC
We were going to head over to the River Spoon for brunch but wind and rain kept us on Catalpa. We had a good breakfast anyway (with bacon). Later the rain let up and we walked into town for dinghy gas and some groceries. We then headed over to Coastal Cottage Life for coffee and WiFi.
Scenes from Belhaven
