Elizabeth City, NC is without a doubt one of the friendliest spots on the ICW. We arrived just before dark, and elected to take a slip at the Thorton
Corporation docks. Thorton Corporation maintains approximately 15 docks, with electric and water and are available for $15/night.Slips are sort of in a nice central place. We inquired as to
the distance to the nearest grocery store. We were told it was just a short walk! Two (2) miles later we found the grocery store. There are some free docks at the town waterfront however,
the wind was blowing pretty good and all who elected the "Free Docks" was constantly rocked. It was worth the $ 15 to get a peacful night sleep.
First night in Elizabeth City we were forced into a
Sun Shower. Which meant rigging a tarp, and taking a shower in the cockpit. At least the water was warm!! Actually it felt pretty good since we had not had a shower for the past three days.
All of my complaining about "Power Boaters" and their wake came back to bite me in the butt! I was going so fast through the opening of the bridge, not realizing that the docks were just past the
bridge, I created my own wake which caused me to have to do a circle and approach a second time to get into the slip. My wife enjoyed that particular maneuver.
We walked into town and found a
pretty good Chinese take out restaurant and enjoyed our dinner in their little eat-in area. Afterwards, we walk back to the boat and passed out from the long day of sailing.
After leaving South Mills
lock, we proceeded through Turners Cut and down the Pasquotank River into Elizabeth City. It was a pleasant sail, several trees in the water, along with a good deal of shallow areas.
The next morning
proved to be rainy and cool yet again. Therefore, we walked the two (2) miles to the mall and had lunch. On the way back we stopped in the grocery store to purchase a few items which I ended up
carrying in our backpack. It was a pleasant day.
That evening, we were hosted by the Rose Dollies of Elizabeth City. An elderly gentlemen and a young lady provided wine, beer, cheese, etc. for
the welcoming to Elizabeth City. All the "Sailor Ladies" received "A Rose" for the first visit to Elizabeth City.
The weather for the day was predicted to be 15-26 knt winds, with some
rain. We called the Coast Guard and inquired of the conditions on the Albermarle Sound. The young Petty Officer stated it was to be rough with 4-6 foot seas.
After talking with the two Canadian
boats nearby, we decided to go anyway. We all three headed out for the Albermarle Sound, hoping for a peaceful day.
The weather turned out to be quite tame, only 7-10 kt winds, and a MILLION
crabpots. It was sort of a disappointment, as we had planned to have a rip roaring ride, which turned out to be a boring slow ride. Oh well, that is part of cruising
We elected to stay at the
Alligator River Marina that evening. A pleasant marina with a somewhat grumpy lady running it called Ms. Wanda. Overall she warmed up and was alright in the end.
The "Slip Fee" is now $ 1.00
per foot, vice $.75. A pumpout cost $15.00, we elected to wait for the pumpout. We refueled and went into a slip for the night. First priority was to take a shower, a much needed
"HOT" shower. After starting the wash we both took a long shower. As Deb stayed to watch the laundry, I walked back to the boat and prepared two "Gin & Tonic's", to celebrate the crossing of
the Albermarle without any problems. Upon returning to the laundry room, with the Gin & Tonic, and my computer, we utilized the courtesy INTERNET port to get online and check e-mail.
The
Albermarle is one of the most dreaded bodies of water to cross on the ICW, we happened to hit it just right and had a pleasant crossing, although somewhat of a disappointment as we had been dreading it for
several days. Guess you can never please a sailor.
Met Tom and Pat on "Swan", a couple who just cruise around enjoying retirement, and have been for the past 11 years. Ok, so I am jealous!
Tomorrow we head for Bellheaven, NC.
So far, we have lost one full day due to the reduced openings of the Deep Creek and South Mills locks. A total of ten hours was loss waiting for the locks to open.
