Alligator River to Great Bridge, VA

     As Kermit would say, "moving right along".  We are making tracks, averaging 80-90 miles a day.  On Friday we left at 6:30 am and breezed down the Neuse River, motorsailing with the jib out, crossed Pamlico Sound, Goose Creek and Pamlico River easily, up the Pongo River and through the Pongo R./Alligator R. canal.  The SW breeze made it possible to have the sail up almost all day long.  We anchored at the southern end of the Alligator River at 7:30 pm.
     Up and off again at 6:30 am.  Still with a SW breeze, but much stronger, up to 24 kts at times, so we motorsailed out the Alligator and were glad we weren't any later crossing  Albemarle Sound as it was nasty enough at 9:30 am and we heard reports that it got nastier as the day wore on.  We carried the sail up the North River until it's snaky turns made it too difficult to control, especially as the wind did not die down when we got in the lee of the trees along the riverbank.  We had decided we would take the Coinjock, or VA cut route instead of the Dismal Swamp, just because we hadn't done it on the way down.  The distance is virtually the same, but you aren't constrained by the locks (or the 6' controlling depth) of the Dismal Swamp.  The Dismal way is prettier, but the VA cut was interesting and we were able to make good time, arriving at Great Bridge around 7:30 pm.  We tied up at the free docks right before the bridge that controls the locking of the one lock we will encounter tomorrow.  Our progress may slow for a while as the weather reports don't look good for the next two days.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL!  ~~~_/)~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 5/8
Google Earth track file for 5/9

Not a lot to see wending our way through NC on Friday, just a fawn wandering the banks.

Mom seems to have found a good place to stay cool and hidden.

After a long day Saturday, we tied up at Great Bridge, VA, just 12 miles from Norfolk, at sunset, but enjoyed the moon rise after a light dinner.

Anchors Away Boatyard to Adams Creek, S of the Nuese River

       What a crazy week.  We left Anchors Away in a rental car on Tuesday afternoon with our rudder post in tow.  We drove til we dropped (around Savannah) and then continued on early Wednesday to deliver the rudder post to the Catalina plant in Largo, FL.   We had learned from Warren Pandy at the FL plant that they had no rudder cores and wouldn't for at least another 10 days, but could build a new one around our original core with a little work on the bent stringers. 
      We delivered the post early afternoon, got a tour of the plant (we always wanted to see the plant anyway!) and then headed to St. Augustine to join the gathering festivities surrounding Pegg's dad's wedding.  We enjoyed all the partying and getting to know even more of our far flung and very extended family.  Dan was on the phone daily with Warren, checking on the status of the rudder.  It was ready for pick-up on Tuesday at noon, so Dan left early Tuesday morning to drive to NC to dig a hole for the rudder install and Amy and Martha took the van and drove across FL to pick up the rudder and head to NC.  The girls arrived at 11:30pm after a long day with books on tape.  
     The rudder was in place by 8:00am, painted by 10:00am and we were finally launched Wednesday afternoon.  We couldn't leave right away, too shallow, but we had a lot to do anyway, back stays back on, dinghy in the water, motor on the dinghy, etc.  We also got involved watching for a sick turtle that the local turtle rescue people were trying to capture to nurse it back to health.  Two women hung out in the water off the pier for almost half an hour waiting for it to surface.  When they captured it, they swam it to the beach, boxed it and took it away.
     We set off at 6:30 am on Thursday to continue the journey north.  The rudder (8" shorter) seems to work well, and we were able to back off quickly when we grounded (at least 5 times in the NC shallows!)   Around 10 am, with thunderstorms threatening close by, we anchored in a curve off the channel and waited out the storm while having a leisurely breakfast.  We put in a long day, motorsailing most of the way  and made it almost all the way to Oriental (just 5 miles short.)  We dropped the hook in VERY shallow water at 7:45 pm with more storms threatening.  There were a few more during the night, but today (Friday) dawned clear with a light SW breeze and we were on our way again by 6:45 am.   Signal is notoriously lousy for the next 130 miles or so, so we'll write when we can.  ~~~_/)~~~D&M

Rudder issues aside, our trip back to FL included Al (Pegg's dad) and Amparo's wedding in Daytona! It was great to see happiness blossom for them both.

After close to 2000 miles on a rental car and several more on our van (Amy brought it from PA to help transport the completed rudder --- and to go to the wedding) the rudder is back in place. Dan did all the work, with a little lifting help from Amy and positioning help from Martha.

Hurry up and wait. We were finally launched Wednesday around 3:30 pm, but sat on the bottom in the travel lift slip until 6:30pm, so we waited for morning to set sail.

Our wait in the slip wasn't boring though as we watched the people from the Sea Turtle Hospital rescue a sick turtle.

Poor Emily, as she/he was named by one of the rescuers, was covered with barnacles, leeches, grass and whatever.

It must be spring, all the porpoises we saw were in pairs.