We set out from Oriental, NC yesterday morning at dawn again, on course for a nine hour day. The winds were supposed to build to 25 mph, but with our early departure, and travel in protected canals, rivers and such, we felt confident that the trip would be comfortable.
I drove the first hour or so, while Scott did some prep work for our macerator pump replacement. When the Neuse River started to churn up, he took over. Once we got out of the Neuse, and into the Adams Creek Canal, things were quiet. We traveled just west of Beaufort, NC, and under a bridge, to pass through Moorehead City, and enter the Bogue Sound. It was much like traveling in the bay at Ocean City, with development on either side of you, sand bars all over the water, and the Atlantic just on the other side of the development to the east.
It was neat to finally get into some coastal scenery. We saw lots of exposed sand bars and dunes. We passed many channels leading out to the Atlantic, one with a direct view. Scott was very tempted to make a left turn, but that's our route for another day. We are also seeing a lot more pelicans and shrimp boats..and we saw our first dolphins today!
At one point, we spied something up ahead of us in the water. I thought it looked like a horse or cow swimming across the channel. Upon a closer view through the binoculars, we discovered it was a deer....didn't know that they could swim; I guess because it's not something you see every day! We slowed, as not to hit him, but once he realized that we were coming, he made a turn and headed back for shore. It had to be a cold swim!
The channel that we travel in here is NARROW, with very little room for error. Sand bars line both side of the channel for much of this stretch. It makes for a sometimes frustrating go of it. I did a lot more navigating, locating buoys for Scott, while he concentrated on immediate threats, such as sand bars and oncoming boats.
We had to pass a barge at one point, which is always nerve racking. They tend to hog the channel; good thing we're somewhat narrow. There were also a few faster boats that came up on us, but luckily, they slowed down before coming by us.
We eventually entered Marine territory, and the surrounding area of Camp Lejeune. Luck was on our side, and there were no military practices being done. When this happens, the waters can be closed for up to four hours through here! We proceeded to Hammock Bay, which is off of the New River, where we would anchor for the night. It's a popular nightly stop off, for boaters headed south, and can get quite crowded.
We dropped our anchor, and got right to replacing the macerator pump, a not to pleasant smelling job! Once done, we had dinner and collapsed...a long day, but much accomplished. Here are some of the things we saw today.
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2 comments:
The picture of the Cormorants is cool! You're right they are amazing creatures. They have small heads and long necks, but they will catch HUGE fish. In China, they keep them. I thought as pets, but it's really for finding food! They put bands around their neck and feed them mashed fish. When the Cormorants dive down deep to catch fish they can't swallow because of the band around their neck. The people keep the fish - for food and to sell! Cormorants live so long that they become like part of the family and have names, as if they were pets. When they die they are rewarded for their lifetime of service by being buried with family members. Very cool.
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