Day 199 – 4/20/24

Starting location: Alligator River Marina on North end of Alligator River, NC.

Weather: 56 am, 70 pm, foggy morning, then overcast

Ending location: Moored at free dock on Mariner’s Warf, Elizabeth City, NC. MM 51 AICW.

Statute miles: 35

General summary: The goal was to get going by 8am, so we set alarms for 7am. On awakening, it was notable that we were surrounded by dense fog. Mother nature sure has a way of throwing curveballs. We had to wait a few hours for the fog to lift enough for decent visibility. We do have radar, if needed. Once we did get going the wind and waves were cooperating and we had a nice ride across. Whew!

There was an option for doing a circuit called the Albemarle Loop. There are small towns along the periphery of the sound that provide free dock stays for 1-3 days, depending on their local limits. We considered doing this, but didn’t want to get “stuck” on the Sound due to the future forecast (PTSD from our 11 unplanned days in Steinhatchee, FL) and felt a bit pressed for time to get to the Chesapeake Bay.

We ended the day at downtown Elizabeth City, NC, which is the last free dock on the Albemarle Loop, furthest North and on our path forward. Stern-in mooring, but there was little wind or current so we did fine. On the way, we had noted a strange concrete structure. This turned out to be a storage area for dirigibles, most of which were used during WWII to scout for German U-boat submarines that had come up the waterway. Walked about the lovely town, toured the excellent museum, met up for docktales with some other Loopers, and had take-out from a Jamaican restaurant.