Catching Up... Several Ways

As we headed further north on April 28th, we wanted to cross Albemarle Sound as soon as we could if the weather was right. Albemarle Sound is a wide but shallow body of water that is highly susceptible to the changes in the winds. It is one of those that you just want to be "on the other side of" if you have to cross it.

Along the way we decided to stage our days to get to places that were supposed to be great stops to dock. The first one was Oriental Marina. While the town was fun to walk,  we found that we did not take any pictures. I guess that sums that stop up! We did dock next to several boats that we were to see a lot of in the near future. There was Joe and Deborah on FreeWheelin' and Hampton and Connie on Snark. We were to meet up with these folks several times during the next few weeks.

From Oriental In My Element proceeded to Dowry Creek Marina near Bellhaven.

Along the way we re-entered the swamp type areas again...

with some cool looking old trees...

and some of those with floral vines.

Another beautiful sunset ended the day.

At Dowry Creek Marina we picked up some unwanted passengers called "fuzzy" bugs by the locals.

These guys are like giant mosquitoes with long, fuzzy antennae. Their life span is short and when they die they leave a sticky mess on your deck. We had lots of them, others had a whole lot more!

The next day we had a 50 mile cruise to Alligator River Marina.

The winds were building by the hour as we approached the Alligator River Swing Bridge. The marina was on the other side of that bridge and it seemed like we had to wait forever for the bridge to open in what was 2-4 foot seas. They were in the middle of some repairs so the opening was delayed for a while.

The wind kept building. By the time we passed the winds were 25-30 mph. They close the bridge at 35 mph. Over the next few days others were not so lucky as we were. Several had to anchor out for more than a day waiting for the wind velocity to drop.

We did eventually experienced white caps inside the marina fairway...

but In My Element eventually found a nice protected place to be out of the turmoil caused by the wave action. The winds were unavoidable though.

This marina is unique in that they have a Shell gas station on the property which has a restaurant in the back.

They also sported their version of a lighthouse type marker.

They also offered up the usual and unusual T-shirt selection...

Did I mention the hats yet?

Over the next FIVE days the winds were strong enough to close the bridge at times. Boats came and went but we stayed as we felt that we did not "have" to be somewhere. Hampton and Connie on Snark stayed as well. Some who left were sorry they did as they had an unpleasant voyage to say the least. Reportedly, it took one Admiral 3 days to start talking to her Captain again!

Nautical Word For The Day: [from seatalk.info]

Wind Rose:

1. A design printed on a chart that indicates prevailing wind directions and speeds for a location.

From Great Loop Jargon:

2. That flower that a captain is obliged to give his Admiral upon landfall when he chooses to leave port in 30 plus mph winds. This is not to be confused with the anniversary rose, the birthday rose, etc.