On the move...Finally (oct 29- nov 8)

11/9/2022

We left Virginia on the 3rd, a few days later than we expected. After over 5 weeks there, it was actually hard to say goodbye to some of the Atlantic Yacht Basin crew, especially Kevin the dock master and our engine mechanic Matt. I have added a couple pics of the laundry facility and public bathroom (our home away from home while our heads didn’t work on the boat) at the marina. I also wanted to share a picture showing the walk on the road to Krogers we took 2 or 3 times a week! These places will be etched in our memory as much as anything else that happened in Chesapeake. See….it’s not all fun and games :)

We pulled out of our slip without fanfare on November 3rd, happy to be finally underway.   We decided to make it a short run and 4 hours (38 miles) later we arrived at our first stop, Coinjock, NC. Yes, I spelled that correctly.

We’ve been to Coinjock https://www.coinjockmarina.com/ when we did the Great Loop in 2017 and I remember calling it Jockstrap, which pretty much describes the marina. Coinjock is a bit of an institution and straddles the Intracoastal Waterway at Mile Marker (MM) 50. Coinjock is a popular stop because there are no other marinas for many miles. Donna Mae ran great and we were able to secure a last minute slip. However, we had to dock without assistance along the marina wall across the river from the actual Marina. Imagine my surprise after pulling in to discover that the pilings on the dock were 6 feet tall!   As Derek worked to keep the boat steady against the dock, I was trying to throw a loop over my head to secure the boat. After a couple of misses, iI finally hit the mark and we tied up.

Coinjock marina is known for it’s 32-oz prime rib, but we saved about $90 and had ‘Lori’s awesome pork chops’ instead. Derek says they were some of the best ever made… After a great dinner, and just as the sun was setting, we heard a knock on our boat. It was the couple from the sailboat docked behind us with a bottle of wine to share. Boaters don’t wait for invitations and that’s why we love ‘em. Another nurse and her husband. We had a great time.

The next morning Derek was up early and we were off by 7:45. The next stop was Alligator River Marina on, surprise, the Alligator River. Alligator River is located on what is called the ‘Outer Banks’ of N Carolina. No we didn’t see any alligators. In fact, all we saw at this stop was a gas station that also served as a small marina, convenience store and a greasy-spoon restaurant!!! Nothing else but a highway bridge next to the docks https://marinas.com/view/marina/z4cnmq_Alligator_River_Marina_Columbia_NC_United_States . Of note: the boater that docked next to us was from Toronto. And the boat itself used to be owned by the BEST NHL hockey goalie EVER when he lived in Toronto…Eddy Belfour. You might be saying, ‘who????’ Well he played for the Dallas Stars when they won the Stanley Cup in 1999 (while we were living in Dallas). I had lost my voice and my composure for that man through that whole season! So I touched his boat and thought of the many hockey-player parties that the boat would tell if it could talk.

The next morning we charted a path to Belhaven, NC. The weather apps (all 5 that we look at) promised calm seas and a nice 6-mph wind. And for most of the trip, it was. Then about 15 miles from the marina, God decided He didn’t like the apps’ predictions. We came into Dowry Creek marina www.dowrycreekmarina.com with the winds at 28 knots to our port aft with whitecaps and 3-4 foot rollers slamming into the docks. It was absolute docking hell. Back up, try again…twice. Third time was a charm, but very ugly. Three men were pulling on our lines to try to guide us in. Derek really thought he lost his ability to drive the boat until we watched the other boats trying to dock that came in after us. They were struggling just as much. Derek is still shaking his head though that he didn’t do better.   We were definitely rocked to sleep that night as the swim platform and transom went up and then slammed down with a boom until the next wave hit.

All was calm the next morning, so without assistance we threw the lines and were off to Beaufort, NC https://www.beaufort.com/. We were excited as Beaufort brought good memories of friends from the loop in 2017. The weather held, but the seals in the hydraulic steering ram were leaking hydraulic steering fluid. The auto pilot kept trying to turn us to port all the time and the steering became less and less responsive. I took the helm while Derek dug out his steering fluid and special funnel just in case.   Luckily, it was still somewhat functional and not gone altogether when we arrived in Beaufort so we didn’t have to strap Tater into his life vest to dog paddle us to shore. Beaufort welcomed us with our first dolphin sightings. They jumped in our wake and I clapped my hands and squealed like a little girl.

We docked without incident at Beaufort Docks Marina and Derek scheduled a mechanic to fix the steering. This is our home for the next 6 days due to high winds and some storms. The marina is right in front of the ‘boardwalk’ and awesome local restaurants and shops are steps away. Good for me, but not Derek’s wallet. Got some Christmas shopping done.

Behind the marina is the Rachel Carson Reserve https://www.beaufort-nc.com/rachel-carson-reserve.html . A cluster of small islands that are home to wild horses (no people). We took the dinghy there and actually saw 4 of them. Tater ran as fast as he could along the shore while I did some shelling. I found the biggest whelk I ever came across (almost half the size of Tater), but it was still alive. ARGHHHHH! It would have been the masterpiece of my collection, but I let him live and walked on. At least I have a picture.

Gypsea has been true to her name. Each time we dock she jumps off the boat and goes on adventures. Just when we think we might have lost her, she shows up again. We often spot her on terraces of shops or on other docked boats. I’ve trained her to come get treats when I click a dog training clicker. So far so good.

Oh yeah, I had mentioned “Duck Beaks” a few posts ago. Well, Derek informed me they are called Duck Bills as he had two in his hands to go into the engine room and replace the ones on the holding tank.   He was grunting and sweating and cussing so much it reminded me of the scene from movie “Shawshank Redemption”… “Derek had crawled through 50 inches of the most foul stuff imaginable”… One Tank done, one to go…

We miss everyone and are getting excited to be home for Christmas. Derek promised to get us home in time to put up our Christmas Tree. We plan on pulling out of here Saturday to a residential style marina to hole up for a couple days as we work towards Charleston.

Much love….