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April 15, 2013 Day 339

Alligator River Marina
Columbia, NC
Total miles to date: 5751.0

This has been a very interesting day.  We borrowed the courtesy car at Dowry Creek and dropped off the tax returns at the post office.  We came back to the marina and prepared to leave, pleased that the rain and wind forecast were only clouds and a light breeze.

We stayed in the Pungo River for about an hour, then entered the very narrow Alligator Cut for over two hours.  It is mostly tree lined, with many tree stumps in the water along the edge.  There are very few houses along the shore along this canal.

From there we entered the Alligator River.  For the first two hours, it was just a light chop.  Then the wind picked up and we had 2 ½ foot waves.  By the time we reached the Alligator Swing Bridge the wind was blowing at 30 mph. (It will not open if the wind is over 34.)  The marina is just past the bridge and we were happy to tie up to their face dock, again with extra lines.  The wind continued to blow hard all evening.

We invited Polli and Mike (who came in behind us on their sailboat) over for docktails.  We had a fun visit with them and enjoyed getting to know them.  They live near the Chesapeake Bay and we hope to see them again.

Tomorrow is a big day as Bill’s brother Bob and our sister-in-law Gennie, meet us in Elizabeth City. They will join us on Carried Away for the final days of our Loop as we cross our wake this weekend in Yorktown, VA.