Day 33: Alligator River Marina to Elizabeth City, NC
Day 33: Tuesday, May 10th: The Alligator River Marina is really a highway filling station with a marina dock out back. As such, they also had a little café that served breakfast. So, this morning we got up at 6:00am and had the first bacon and egg breakfast since we left Atlanta. Yummy! Of course, that made us last to leave the marina again!
The next leg of the trip was to cross Albemarle Sound, another wide body of water and often treacherous. However, this morning it was like a millpond. This is what it looked like as we left the sound:
In Albemarle Sound you have to decide whether to go up through the Dismal Swamp Canal to Norfolk, VA or go around through Coinjock, VA to Norfolk. The Dismal route is special, and one day soon it may have to close due to lack of funding, so we decided to go that way.
We entered the Pasquatank River, which leads to Elizabeth City, NC and on to the Canal. As one reaches Elizabeth City, this dirigible hangar comes into view. Sorry for the picture quality, but we had to use telephoto to get the picture. Note the size of the houses about a quarter mile closer than the hangar:
We tied up to the free city docks placed by the friendly city of Elizabeth City. This sign welcomed us:
There is a wonderful tradition of welcoming boating visitors started by Fred Fearing. He is the former postmaster of Elizabeth City and is now 91 years old. The traditional welcome is a rose for each visiting lady and a newspaper (we didn't get the paper, and I think they have stopped doing that part). The small group of volunteers have become the "Rose Buddies." Here are the ladies present tonight and Fred:
Fred is a true gentleman who takes his hat off to meet a lady. He put it back on for a picture.
Another part of the Rose Buddies welcoming tradition is to host a wine and cheese reception. Here is Fred along with John Lloyd, another of the "Buddies." Guests, including Bill in the background:
A moment of background to explain the next series of photos: Back on Pipeline Canal where we anchored on May 1st (Day 24), we saw the boat of one Robert Neely. We didn't know it at the time, but it was a true character boat. It is about 18 feet long, named Nomad Plant:
Today, Neely pulled into Elizabeth City dock and we finally had a chance to meet him in person. Robert Neely is a character himself:
He is from somewhere on Lake Superior, is on his third Great Loop in the boat pictured, is part American Indian, is well educated, and lost part of both legs in a freak accident with a freight train. He keeps a bicycle, a kayak, a GPS, a VHF radio, all his clothes, water, food, a family of "friendly spiders who eat the bugs" and spare fuel tanks aboard.
Look at the hand carvings aboard the boat. He did them, of course. There are the fish carvings in the toe rail and the swan head on the forward hatch cover:
Truly amazing! Watch for him and his boat further down the log..
Position tonight: N36 17.909 W076 13.103
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