Early start from Oriental NC this morning - the plan was to beat the afternoon winds and building seas. We had to cross 3 really large rivers: the Neuse, the Pamlico, and the Pungo. All these rivers are important in the history of colonial settlement, pirates, and naval warfare. The Neuss River is one of the locations Blackbeard haunted and hunted.
I would have taken more pics, but the weather fell apart about mid morning with 15-20 knot winds and really messy 3-4 foot waves and cross chop. When the waves hit us on the beam (the side of the boat), they caused us to roll violently. When they came from the stern (end of the boat), they caused us to slew and yaw. It was a crummy last half of the day, but we thought we had a calm dock reserved in the Bellhaven NC marina.
Not to be so. The strong south wind blew right into the normally protected marina and created rock and roll for all boats. One sailboat ran aground in the wind and was good and stuck until a tow boat came to help them out. We tucked ourselves back as best we could, but even as I write this blog (10 in the evening), we are rolling back and forth at the dock; it's raining intermittently; and the forecast is the same for tomorrow. We might stay for another 24 hours until things settle out.
Part of our passage between the rivers was a protected canal that offered a nice ride. Between rain showers that is.
Monsters in the sink - soaking the stiff mooring lines in fabric softener to soften them up (old Indian recipe from Mom)
Finally moored at Bellhaven Marine, but not before a lot of maneuvering in tight spaces in strong winds and shallow waters. We ate dinner at "Jack's", and had stroganoff. By then (after fighting waves and winds) I would have eaten a horse.
Another AGLCA boat is moored just in front of us. I'll get a better photo tomorrow. We call it the Captain Nemo boat because it looks like a submarine.
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