April 11-14; 2019 THE RUN DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE ALBEMARLE AND UP THE CUT TO COINJOCK, NC

When the following day showed a promise of smooth water, we quickly agreed that a run down the length of the Albemarle was in order. While on the Great Loop three years ago, we transited the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City and on through the Great Dismal Swamp to the Portsmouth/Norfolk area. For a different experience, we chose to run the North Carolina/Virginia Cut to Coinjock… an 8-hour run… and then on to the twin cities… a 7-hour run. We were amazed at the beauty of the scenery along the Cut; not much has ever been mentioned about this route. Impressive also was the 1,050 foot face dock at the Coinjock Marina. The dock master reported to us that 35+ boats have been tied up on that face dock at the end of any given day. We are now tucked into the Tidewater Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River from the Waterside Complex in Norfolk. We will call this our home for the next two weeks.

Coinjock Marina's 1050 ft  face dock

April 9-10, 2019 COLOMBIA AND EDENTON, NC

There has been a lot of promotion this spring for cruisers to include the Albemarle Loop in their trip north. Traditionally, once the Alligator River Swing Bridge has been cleared, we cruisers make a dash across Albemarle Sound and on to Chesapeake Bay. One route is to Elizabeth City and on up the Great Dismal Swamp. The other choice is to go up the North Carolina-Virginia Cut to Coinjock…. with both routes meeting in the Elizabeth River at Portsmouth/ Norfolk, VA.  This spring we decided to give some towns on the Albemarle Sound a visit.

Columbia, NC was our first stop. Located in Tyrrell Country… “unspoiled, uncrowded and uncomplicated”…, Columbia is its only incorporated town. The rest of the county has been declared a preserve, a National Wildlife Reserve, a coastal reserve and a State Park. Sitting gracefully on the banks of the Scuppernong River, Columbia is home to the Pocosin Arts School of Fine Crafts. While being toured through various studios, we discovered that it felt like a smaller version of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle, ME. It looked like a great place to come back to in the future! We did the self-directed Historic Downtown Home Tour and strolled along the Scuppernong River Interpretive Boardwalk. Very soothing… every bit.

Now for the not-so-soothing part. “The Albemarle has the dubious reputation of having the roughest inland waters on the entire eastern seaboard. It is quite true that winds from most any quarter tend to funnel up or down the sound’s entire (51 nautical mile) length. The long wind fetch, coupled with the Albemarle’s relatively shallow (15-20 ft.) depths, can quickly form violent seas that can daunt the heartiest captain and crew. Always consult the latest weather forecast  before venturing on the Sound’s wide waters.” Claiborne Young in his Cruising Guide to Coastal North Carolina goes on to state, “From about March 15 to the middle of May, cruising conditions range from good to simply awful.” This further descriptive should help to explain why our plans to visit five communities on the Albemarle Loop ended after visiting only two. “There are bright, shining days with light winds which seem born in paradise.” That describes our cruise from the Alligator River Marina to the Columbia Town Docks. “The trouble is that the next day may be overcast and cool with 40-knot gales.”  That pretty much describes the Albemarle as we exited the Scuppernong River heading for Edenton. In fact, the unexpected, un-forecasted 6 ft. seas caught Summertime smartly on her beam… severely rolling her tubby hull up onto her side. Our engine overheat warning buzzer began to blat. We immediately shut the engine down. As the boat thrashed around, Wally made a hand-over-hand trip to the lower level. I continued to maintain my wide stance for stability at the wheel. While Wally did a magnificent job trouble-shooting the problem, I kept an eye on the depth sounder. I watched our depth drop from 18 ft. to 8 ft. as we were trounced by the waves. Through our intercom system I reported the shallow situation we were moving into; at 5.9 ft. we decided it was time to drop the anchor, setting the boat up to turn into the wind. I could now leave the pilothouse and join Wally in the salon with the floor open to reveal the engine room. For over an hour Wally worked his magic with me acting as Gal Friday. His diagnosis was that the thru-hull opening that supplies cooling water to the engine had rolled out of the water, causing an air-lock. He flushed the system with fresh water from our tanks and installed a new impeller on the water pump. It was time to return to the helm. After offering a heart-felt prayer, we started her up. She purred away and her temperature gauge remained in the normal range. Praises be!  After all that drama, we were actually safe and sound. To our surprise and delight, the winds had become lighter and more agreeable. With hope for a safe crossing, we followed our plans to continue along the Albemarle Loop to the north shore town of Edenton. 

Upon arriving at the Edenton Harbor Docks, we were surrounded by a flurry of activity. As we soon learned, the annual Pilgrimage Weekend was only a few days away. Fifteen private homes and gardens and eleven historic sites dating from the 1700’s to the early 1900’s were being prepared for two days of public viewing. Every detail was being attended to. The Chowan County Tourism Development Authority provided us with 3 different brochures, each declaring Edenton to be “The South’s Prettiest Small Town”.  A separate brochure on the Pilgrimage and another on the Historic Site Daily Tours were also available. After unpretentious Columbia, the Edenton welcome was a bit overwhelming. We opted to join other visitors on a one-hour tour on a vintage trolley at the cost of $12.50/person. The interpreter and her driver were impeccably prepared with the stops and the stories, projecting the town’s historical significance. It became apparent to us that the level of pride in Edenton’s history… felt by the vast majority of its residents… would be tough to replicate anywhere else. As the brochure from the Edenton Historic Commission put it, “Edenton has no museum. Edenton is, uniquely, a museum unto itself.”

April 3-8, 2019 TOPSAIL/SURF CITY, NC TO ALLIGATOR RIVER SWING BRIDGE AND MARINA

Robert and Kay, Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association's Harbor Hosts in Southport

The view from Robert and Kay's front porch

Southport Marina

Very old oak tree!

Since our departure from Southport, NC we have been moving steadily up the North Carolina  coast. Day 1 brought us past Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach to Topsail/Surf City Marina. We accomplished this trek in record time by lowering our radar mast to get under two 20’ bridges that don’t have scheduled times convenient to each other.

Waiting to go under the Wrightsville Bridge

Topsail Beach Pier

Camp Lajeune

Topsail Beach

Topsail Island Marina

Swansboro, NC

On Day 2 we transited the Marine Corps Base Camp Lajeune’s ten miles of waterway. We did have to wait for the military-operated Onslow Beach Swing Bridge to be opened. Its clearance when closed is 12’; SUMMERTIME’s air height with her mast down is 14’. Some things can’t be helped. We passed by Swansboro, heading for the sport-fishing town of Beaufort (BO-fort), NC. Just as we were about to enter the opening for the Beaufort &  Morehead Railroad Bridge, it began its lowering process… how unfortunate for us…the rail bed is 7’ off the water when closed! One shiny black train engine made its way across the Newport River. Fifteen minutes later it returned pushing a dozen empty rail cars. In the meantime, we got to practice our “waiting maneuvers”… how fortunate for us!?!

Beaufort Docks

Beaufort is the home of a large Menhaden fishery

Day 3 saw us making a "first light" departure from The Homer Smith Docks on the outskirts of downtown Beaufort.  We crossed the Neuse River in a light breeze... Thank-you Lord... and enjoyed an early stop at Oriental Marina and Inn. After admiring the handsome shrimping fleet and numerous sailboats, we stretched our legs by walking to a nearby store offering new and consigned marine supplies, clothing with catchy logos and locally-produced groceries. Happily we found a bronze deck pipe cap in the consignment area to replace the one that Wally gave to King Neptune as we struggled to grab a mooring ball at Marina Jacks in Sarasota, FL last year. We haven’t been able to find a replacement until now. We also enjoyed lively chit-chat about boating with the gallery owner across the street from our slip. His plans to do the Great Loop failed to come together, but his love for messing around in boats hasn’t wavered one bit. The local artistry displayed in his many-roomed shop was exemplary!

Oriental, NC the sailing capital

The famous "Bean" coffee shop

Shrimping fleet

To reach Dowry Creek Marina east of downtown Belhaven on Day 4, we had to cross the Pamlico Sound and enter the Pungo River… quiet water in both cases… whew! We had a tug-and-tow creeping up on us all day and met two tugs, each pushing a barge loaded with phosphates. We were told later that Washington, NC, up the Pamlico River, has a large phosphate mine. Who knew! We borrowed the complementary car from the marina and drove the 4 miles into downtown Belhaven. After procuring a few essential provisions, we watched as two clever artists applied tattoo-like patterns to the upper exterior wall of a shop… from an extended man-lift. Quite a project!

Today we made an early exit in hopeful anticipation of clearing the Pungo River, the Pungo-Alligator River Canal, the Alligator River and the swing bridge opening into the Albemarle Sound. Three years ago we were hung up for more than a week in the Belhaven area due to dangerous weather. Even when we attempted to move on, the rivers and the canal were still exhibiting rough water conditions. This year, however, while severe storm activity drops noticeable accumulations of snow across the country, we are not seeing the unsettled weather last long here on the North Carolina ICW.

Bird life along our recent route has stood out as different from earlier sitings. In the past few days we have begun to notice single loons actively feeding, rafts of cormorants enjoying each other’s company and osprey couples nesting or completing their nest construction. Interesting!

March 14-28, 2019 THE MARINA AT ORTEGA LANDING, FL TO THE WACCAMAW RIVER, SC

A look back at…March 14, 2019 The Marina at Ortega Landing, Jacksonville, FL
     This leg of the trip north has hinged around today…March 14, 2019. This is the day that the Opera House in Stonington, ME hosted the stage presentations of 23 SeaTimes oral history stories. My former student Amanda is spearheading a revival of those true tales collected from 1986-1996 by the 8th grade English/Social Studies students at Deer Isle-Stonington Jr./Sr. High School. Amanda called me in December to discuss the possibilities of a night of “Winter Stories” shared by family or friends of the original interviewees. What a great idea! Later she offered to FACE TIME the 2-hour event through her iPhone. Ikes! That’s pretty high tech for us. We promised to do our best… so we are staying at The Marina at Ortega Landing in Jacksonville, FL to be sure of a dependable, strong internet connection. It worked perfectly with Amanda’s iPhone to our iPad. From 7-9 pm, the participants brought to life the 1920’s,’30’s and ’40’s on Deer Isle. For those two hours, it felt like Wally and I were in the Opera House as those readings and projected family photos played to a packed house. Bravo Director Amanda and your cast and crew!! Can’t wait to see more of the nearly 300 SeaTimes stories in the upcoming summer production. We hope to be there in person.

March 15, 2019 Amelia Island Marina and Fernandina Beach, FL

     We continued our connection to Maine Coast friends by visiting with Brooklin, ME friends now living their winters in northern FL. After docking SUMMERTIME at the Amelia Island Marina, it wasn’t long before Paul came on board and it was like “Old Home Week”. He “taxied” us to his vintage home where Jane and a school chum were enjoying conversations on the front porch. Since Paul had spent the past four years restoring and upgrading his downtown Fernandina Beach abode, it was time for the tour through the house…lovely! We five had a relaxing walk through the historic district with its shops, eateries and other water-side establishments. Back home it was time for the next-door neighbor to join us for an elegant meal and more robust conversation. These kinds of re-connections are why we like the cruising life-style so much!

March 16-28, 2019 Brunswick Landing and Thunderbolt/Savannah, GA; Beaufort and Isle of Palms, SC

After taking time to soak in our memories of Brunswick and Savannah, GA, we booked in a 4-day stay at the Downtown Marina of Beaufort (pronounced BEW-fort), SC. My sister and her husband had wintered their boat WHIT’S END there and we were given a face dock space just off her bow. Val and Rick drove down from Myrtle Beach for a long week-end. We had a great time making progress on their boat projects and eating home-cooked meals in each other’s boats. While in the laundry room on our last day at the marina, a fellow trawler couple were surprised to learn that we were planning to anchor for the next three or four nights as we headed up the ICW. Bill and Jackie suggested we re-check the upcoming weather. Sure enough. “Predictwind” had bright red swatches along our route showing that in two days we would be experiencing gale force winds of 25 to 35 mph. That brought us up short! Thanks to the cautionary words of our new cruising friends, we changed our plans. We used the fair weather of the following day to high-tail it for 10 hours and gained 80 miles… creating a record for time and distance for us! We hot-footed it across serene Charleston Harbor, famous for winds and cross/currents, and found a safe haven a bit further north at Isle of Palms. We chose to stay put in the marina there for 3 nights… wise decision on our part. We walked the beach in the lull before the storm and witnessed the Atlantic Ocean amidst its fury during the storm. We were happy to be tucked inside our trawler, safe and sound. Wally worked away in our tax report to the IRS and I began mixing my acrylic paints. The “barns and pastures” painting that I started in Ft. Myers needed some bare-branched trees in the foreground. For inspiration I am using a photo taken by my artist/instructor Barb. She captured the scene early one morning in Arundel, Maine as she drove to work along a country road. My barns did not turn out to be those barns, but my sky, clouds, pasture, trees and roadway disappearing around a distant bend are close enough. I have really enjoyed putting my right brain into action.

Thunderbolt Marina

Got to love Savanah humor!

Savanah is a town of "pocket parks"

Bonaventure Cemetery famous from the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

Darcy's "Barns and Pasture"

March 29, 2019 The Waccamaw River and Grande Dunes Marina, Myrtle Beach


It has been 3 years since we traveled the ICW in Georgia and South Carolina. It was March 2016 and we were just beginning The Great Loop. While spending so much time in Florida since then, we’d forgotten a few things about these waters. There is A LOT of marshland alone the coasts of GA and SC. The tides rise and fall SIGNIFICANTLY more than in FL… up to 8 ft in some places. As a result of the tides, the current’s pull is VERY STRONG. It sweeps our 8 mph trawler along at 9-12 mph at times, or slows us down to 4-6 mph. The current also causes us anxiety when we go to land at a marina. We’ve been directed to anchor out and wait until slack tide before entering certain marinas. Now that we are more seasoned, when the weather is good we cruise from sunrise until four o’clock… 8 or 9 hours…then it’s time for an adult beverage… then it’s time for supper. We look back at our cruising records and discovered that in our early days, 4 hours was a long day! We love the backwater hideaway anchorages. We dropped the hook in Thorofare Creek just off the delightful Waccamaw River last night… what a piece of heaven! Tonight we will be back with family Val and Rick at their home in Myrtle Beach. They have received our monthly delivery of mail. Val has also shopped on our behalf for some necessary items,…bless you, Sis! Rumor has it that corned beef and cabbage are in the slow cooker and homemade blueberry-strawberry ice cream will top off tonight’s meal. How can you beat that!?!