Underway October 01, 2014

It took an extra month but we finally got underway the morning of the first.  We Stopped at Hospital Point in downtown Norfolk for the night, enjoying being away from the dock.   After discussing which route to take we decided on the Dismal Swamp Canal and a stop at the North Carolina Visitors Center due to the weather forecast.  If you must be caught in the rain, the Visitor's Center is as good a place as any!  Restrooms, garbage & free wi-fi.... what more does a boater need?

Sometimes when you stay at these free docks you feel as though you are living in a fish bowl!  Some of the comments people make  :-)  Do they not realize that the boat owner just may be listening?  One at the Visitor's Center was funny... two men discussing the depth of the Dismal Swamp Canal... "It is about 30 feet deep all the way to Elizabeth City!"  Actual depth about  7 to 12 feet depending on the rain amounts.   "Those sailboats have a keel thing under them that goes down 8feet!"  Of course that varies by boat. 

The following morning we left the Visitor's Center as the forecast had changed and went on through to Elizabeth City, NC.  We had not stopped at the town docks there since right before Fred Fearing died.  He was the last of the original Rose Buddies that actually put Elizabeth City on the cruisers map as the Harbor of Hospitality.  They have added more town docks since our last visit & we opted for a side to tie at Waterfront Park. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday the 4th we went to the Museum of the Albemarle which we had not been through since shortly after it opened.  Should you find yourself in Elizabeth City the museum is definitely worth a visit.  On Saturday mornings there is a Farmers Market on the waterfront too.  You know Rob & I love fresh veggies and that was great.  Okra, tomatoes, green beans, squash, turnips & greens!  And that was in addition to what we already had onboard!  We stopped at a local restaurant called Groupers and had an adult beverage & mussels when we noticed a sign that there would be music in the park that evening.  As it turned out, the stage was right by the boat.

 

I told Rob how someone I knew years before - friends with my ex, lived in E. City.  I told Rob that I probably would not recognize him should he walk to the boat.  A while later this man (remember the fishbowl?) stopped to chat.  There was just something about him that seemed familiar so I introduced myself and when he said his name I had to smile!  I looked at him and said "You were a groomsman in my wedding many years ago."  Talk about stunned!  It was good to see Moon!  It was good to hear about how all the folks I knew back in the day were doing - even my ex.  It was also sad to hear how many had passed away.  I had seen a photo posted on FB by my friend Robbin Thompson with Moon and he had a charter boat cap on.  I think it was the name of the boat that I remembered.  Even Rob told him that we had just had this conversation not a half hour before.

There were 3-4 bands that played but you know us boaters.... when the sun goes down - so do we - so we listened as we went to sleep.  Besides that, it is COLD!   We are in long pants, long sleeve shirts with jackets, socks & shoes.  We are too far north!  Heading to the top of the Alligator - Pungo Canal today.  We will probably bypass out usual stops in Bath & Washington due to the temperatures.