Sailboats Fair and Fine# 27 : read oldest posts first

Oct.17,Fri. From Georgenes Log Book

We were up early again and on our way to cross the Albermarle Sound. It turned out to be a good sailing day. I was surprised that there are so many markers and buoys-almost like a highway marked clear across the sound. We sailed a good part of the day and then motored some- mostly after we got into the Alligator River. There's a swing bridge across the river at about mile 84. we thought on such a big river we would probably have to wait for the bridge to open on the hour. As it was surely rush hour and the bridge was the only way to the mainland. Doug called find the next opening time, the man said “Have it open for in just a minute Captain.” He did too. We didn't have to wait at all. We went on down the river to about mile 104 and anchored between Bear point and Tuckahoe Point. Doug had to get in the dingy and row all around the shore line and go ashore to explore. The scenery has really been something. All different kinds of trees and shrubs than we have at home. The water has a kind of rusty red color mixed in from the cypress roots. It's all been different and beautiful but i guess I really liked Saturday morning ( Oct 18 ) the most so far because of all the fog on the canal. We had a long trip down the Alligator River- Pungo River canal. We left our anchorage between 6: 30 & 7:00 & the fog was all along the edge of the canal, until the sun came out good and strong a couple of hours later. The temperatures are still in the 60's. We stopped early at Belhaven to get Fuel and ice. The ice cost $1.00 and the fuel was free.

As we had come out of the canal into the Pungo River, we helped another boat that had run aground where the channel was really narrow.

I didn't take long and we were on our way. This boat was at the marina in Belhaven ,when we stopped for fuel. A man came hurrying out onto the dock to thank us for helping him& introduced himself to us and introduced him self as, Larry. He and his wife, Joanne, on their sailboat” Tring”Had left York River yacht Haven the same day we did. When Doug went up to pay for our gas Larry had already taken care of it. A nice Surprise!

We anchored about 2PM just across the channel from Belhaven. We rested all after noon and read. I haven't smoked for 3 days and i;m almost making my self sick eating crackers and candy. Hopefully, I will get over it in a few days. I told Doug I'd quit when we left. and I didn't buy any extra cigarettes to bring along. I finished the pack I had in my pocketbook our first day out & so, I've quit.

View We started a the North river in a larger map

SAILBOATS FAIR AND FINE # 26 : READ OLDEST POSTS FIRST

Sorry about posting the Dundalk blog post here yesterday. Confusing for most I suspect. Don't feel bad I was confused to.

Doug

During the night something walked across my face I smacked at it and felt something run down my cheek. I figured it was bug juice so I got up and went into the head and looked in the mirror. I had some green liquid on my face Not just a little green but bright green. I washed it off then noticed a bug crawling across the floor It was leaving trail of the same green, then I saw several more and caught them. And opened the hatch to throw them out and the topsides where brown and green. I got the flash light and looked around the deck, and it was covered almost solid with bugs. They looked like lightning bugs but were half again bigger. There was green all over the topsides. I got my cloths on and went out and got a bucket and sluiced the decks and everything on deck, awnings sail bags water jugs all of it. When the decks were pretty much cleared of them I began mopping and flooding the decks with brown water.
There was no more sleep that night because there were a lot of bugs in the boat. They had crawled in through the ventilators. That was one of those jobs that never got done. We had talked about making screens for the vents but it just never happened.
We spent a lot of time catching bugs and cleaning green poop. When the sun came up we made a bee line out of there. I spent a great deal of the day swabbing and washing down the boat. It seemed I couldn't get rid of the darn things . Every time I swabbed the decks more showed up. Finally Georgene said look up the mast and sure enough there were bugs all over the rigging. I threw buckets of water as high as I could reach and then unfurled the sails and a blue million of them hit the decks when I hoisted them. When I thought I was rid of them I dropped the sails and scrubbed them on the deck with mop and soapy water. I worked a good hour on the mess after we left. Then got some sail up for a good sail..

Tomorrows post will be a day out of Georgene's Log bOOK.

View Great Bridge down to the North River to anchor. in a larger map