SAFETY, FUN, FUNKY & FISHY midst TIDES, WINDS & THUNDERSTORMS

17 APRIL 2022 – NORTH CAROLINA VISITORS CENTER, Camden, NC

There are fewer stops along the coast of North Carolina, but it’s pretty interesting to be dealing with tides as high as 8-9’ twice a day (ever since the Georgia coast). Fortunately most marinas have “floating docks” that go up and down with the tides so it makes tying the boat up a lot easier. Now we’re down to 3-6” tides, if any, and most of the docks are “fixed,” i.e. they do not go up and down.

We had a surprise visit from the U.S. Coast Guard between Oriental and Belhaven. We had heard of random safety checks and welcomed them aboard (maintaining our usual 9.2 knots/10mph cruising speed as they came along our starboard side). They wanted to make sure we had adequate personal flotation devices (PFD’s, aka life jackets), fire extinguishers, horns, proper registration, etc. We are very grateful to know the USCG is available 24/7 via VHF radio and that there are dedicated men serving. Here’s the pair that boarded S.L.O. Dancer:

As we’ve cruised along, we’ve found some wonderfully fun, funky and fishy highlights to share with you, together with a few weather challenges.

It was especially fun to see sisters Hillary and Alicea, who’ve been like grand-daughters to me since we first met in 1998 (when they were in 4^th and 6^th grade in Marin County, CA, where I lived from 1988-2009). They now live in Durhan, NC and made the 2-hour drive to Oriental and New Bern (the birthplace of Pepsi Cola!) to visit us, with Alicea’s husband Evan and their adorable 18-month-old daughter Adelina. (Does that mean I now have a great-grandchild?!? How about a “bonus” great granddaughter!) 🙂 What a treat it was to spend time with them over last weekend! They love North Carolina and we love them!

As we’ve mentioned several times, we really prefer small towns and we’ve stayed in several these last few weeks…at some really classy marinas…and some that definitely qualify as “funky!” All of them have been very, very friendly.

We continued to see lots of shrimp boats through most of North Carolina and are beginning to see more and more crab pots (note those hung on the wall in photo at right above). We just learned recently, when using a local restroom (and couldn’t figure out which was which), that girl crabs are called “Sooks” and boy crabs are called “Jimmies.” Just never know what we’re going to learn on this wondrous adventure! There is also LOTS of fresh seafood available all along the ICW, including a fun place we found in Southport called Fishy Fishy (the house is made of corks)!

Part of our adventure this segment has been cruising ahead of or hunkering down because of high winds and several spring thunderstorms, but our boat is solid and safe and we’re happy to stay put until the weather is good. We do a lot of reading, planning, napping (G), art journaling (A) and boat clean up. There are several large inlets and sounds that come in from the Atlantic Ocean along the entire Atlantic ICW, and North Carolina has two of the most challenging that can become “nasty” very quickly—Pamlico Sound and Albemarle Sound. These are the places where we had been advised to “wait for the right weather window,” and that’s exactly what we did. In fact, to safely cross Albemarle Sound we had to wait 3 days for the winds to die down from 20-30 knots (with gusts higher) to a very doable 5-10 knots. We’re happy to report that we cruised across both of these quite easily and continue to be very grateful for a very sturdy and seaworthy boat (and a very wise Captain who studies a variety of weather reports very diligently and always knows when it’s time to go or no-go)!

Our final North Carolina adventure turned out to be one of our favorites. Instead of cruising the more common route to get to Norfolk (and Mile Marker Zero of the Atlantic ICW) called “The Virginia Cut,” we chose to take the alternate route a little farther inland called The Dismal Swamp. It’s a 22-mile long, narrow canal that connects the Pasquotank River in North Carolina to the Elizabeth River in Virginia and is the oldest continually operating canal in the United States, originally conceived, surveyed and supported by George Washington. In the 1800’s The Dismal Swamp was a vital commercial link as well as a strategic position during the Civil War for both Union and Confederate forces. The canal is very quiet now and also very shallow, so it mostly plays host to picnickers and pleasure boaters—“a real treat for those interested in natural scenery.” One of the reasons we loved it so much is because it is indeed very quiet, very peaceful, very beautiful, lined with mile after mile of trees, trees, trees and more trees. And we were the only boat on the entire canal for two days! As we were taking in the serenity and beauty, escorted frequently by ducks, great blue herons and Canada geese, Gary proclaimed, “This is why we bought the boat!” To be able to immerse ourselves in the natural beauty of our Country along its magnificent waterways truly nurtures our souls.

Can you spot the goose in the photo below, amid the reflections and swirls from the coffee-colored waters of our wake? The color is from the tannins released by the roots of trees and other vegetation along the canal and occurs on most of the ICW.

The next chapter of our Adventure takes us to the Chesapeake Bay and a side trip from Norfolk, VA up the Potomac River to The Wharf Marina right in the heart of Washington, D.C. We’re really looking forward to all of it, and continue to feel so blessed that we are able to continue this amazing journey. It’s quite the dance!