Alligator River

                                             
                                 Alligator River to Dowry Creek                                          


    After a chilly trip on the Abermarle Sound we pulled into  Alligator River Marina, a tucked away spot close to a bridge which takes cars out to the outer banks. The sound has a reputation of being one of the roughest bodies of water due to it's shallow depths but for us it was actually quite a nice sail. As the day went on, the temperature kept dropping and the wind increased. When we got to our destination, there was lots of white caps and rolling waves. To get into the marina we had to go right up to the bridge, then turn hard to the right and follow the shoreline to the opening. From out on the water it looks like you are going to go into the trees. Little bit hard on the nerves... but we made it safely.
  After docking the boat, we plugged in the electrical cord and turned on the cabin heater. Everything inside has been damp since Hurricane Sandy. We bought a propane heater but as it burns, it causes condensation so inside has been wet for well over a week. We got all our chores done,  laundry,....clean, .....fuel up,.....shoot the shit with other cruisers over beer, then we were invited to dinner by our friends, Haila and David on Traveller, from Southport, NC. David has worked on tugs and shrimp boats most of his life working with his father. Together, Haila and Dave, have managed a marina in Florida for the last three years. We turned in early cause the plan was to get up early and lead the pack of boats down the Alligator River.

  Well,...... we did stay in third place most of the morning, sailing along at 6 knts. till the big powerboats( who slept in late) caught up. There is the Alligator-Pungo canal which is one of the last ones we will have to travel in. It is about 100 feet wide at it's widest spot, but the deep water is right down the middle. These fast moving cruisers pass on both sides, they don't need the depth that sailboats need, causing big wakes as they go by.  Moving over to the side is not an option as it get shallow real fast. We seen one sailboat stuck, but he was pulled of by a following boat. The bottom is soft mud, so when you touch, you come to slow stop. The boat is held there by suction. As we were passing a small opening in the forest which lines both banks we spotted 2 small bears playing in a sand pit. They stopped to watch us sail by. And yes,they do have alligators but we didn't see any, too cold for them, they probably all went to Florida.

                The saying is..." If you've never been aground,.... you never been around."



  Like always, in the early afternoon the wind came up, and we had a exciting ride the last few miles into Dowry Creek marina. We are going to hold here to see what this nor'easter is going to do. We are getting the occasional 30 kn. gust, maybe it's a sign of whats to come, we'll see.
This is a very scenic spot surrounded by a marsh. We arrived just in time for Happy Hour.

 All the cruisers went up to the lounge with a appetizer and a drink and we all sat around and talked about the storm that is on its way, and of course about there boating experiences. Some boats are leaving today to run further south, we will stay here till it passes.

                                                   Wine Bottle Tree, grown by boaters