2 & 3 May 2016 – With an eye on the weather, we knew that we would be “stuck” somewhere for more than a day with the forecast for strong northerly winds and heavy rain.
Our next planned marina stop was to be Alligator River Marina which is literally a truck stop on the side of a highway. We decided that although there are no services or facilities nearby, this marina may not be the most comfortable experience but would be safe to sit out the forecasted weather if necessary.
The day was dreary as we meandered up the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal seeing a bit of wildlife along the way.
The trip was pretty uneventful, with the only real concern happening when we heard a loud thunk from below. We saw nothing in the water but figured we had hit something like a submerged log. There was no apparent damage, after checking to be sure there were no issues with the steering, we breathed a sigh of relief thankful for our heavy boat and the design of the hull which helps to reduce the likelihood of damage from these types of encounters.
We made our way to the marina/truck stop and got settled in for what would end up being a 2 night stop.
All our neighbors plan to leave tomorrow, not concerned by the weather forecast of rain and thunderstorms tomorrow.
We woke the next day, Tuesday, to pouring rain and thunder so we decided to stay put for the day. At least a couple inches fell in a short time, and the way to the bathhouse was flooded to almost knee deep. And those neighbors who were all planning to leave….. well they all stayed another day as well.
We hope for better weather tomorrow to cross the Albermarle Sound, a 10 mile (1.5 – 2 hour?) passage over an exposed body of water which can get very choppy with winds and weather which is also littered with crab pots which we have to keep a look out for. We don’t expect it be a very relaxing part of the journey.
On the plus side – staying at Alligator River Marina for 2 days, we have unlimited access to southern truck stop fried food.