Southport to Elizabeth City, NC

We got behind on posting to the blog, because we ran into a long stretch of the NC ICW that had no cell phone or internet service. Jane was beside herself that her Facebook, e-mail, and telephone service were scant or nothing at all, but that's part of the trip and we probably won't encounter such stretches until we get into more isolated areas further north.

Tug on the Cape Fear River

An AICW lawn ornament!

Sunrise at our anchorage

We left Southport and headed up the Cape Fear River towards Morehead City and Beaufort, NC. This section of the ICW is not particularly noteworthy, but the Cape Fear River is a major shipping channel that is wide, deep and with strong currents. The waterway does pass through some rather trendy resort areas with some interesting sights along the water. We started for Wrightsville Beach and made that rather early in the day, so instead of stopping there we went into an anchorage further north around the resort area of North Topsail Beach. We got settled in, grilled some bratwurst, and watched another of Todd's movies. It was a quiet night on the hook.

A Hannah & Sadie beach house!

This is the real deal

We figure these are targets

Our motel- white building, 2nd floor, waterside (covered by palm tree)

The next morning we hustled out of bed and pulled anchor a little earlier than we usually do so that we could make an hourly opening of a nearby swing bridge. We headed towards Sneads Ferry and were scurrying along to make another bridge opening, when we noticed a navy patrol boat on our stern. We passed through the bridge and were in the Camp Lejeune marine corps camp. We found signs warning of live firing exercises, but no alarms or patrol boats were impeding our progress. When the Camp Lejeune firing exercises are being conducted, the ICW can be closed for up to 3 hours. Almost immediately after we got through the base, we started to hear loud booms in the distance and figured that the patrol boat that came up on our tail was there to halt traffic while an exercise was being conducted. We heard the firing all the way to Swansboro. As we approached Swansboro, Capt. Larry told Jane that this area looked like the one we visited on a motorcycle trip in 2006. We rounded a bend and sure enough, we spotted a motel we stayed at and a nearby restaurant. Deja vu all over again, only this time we were on the water side.

We continued on toward Morehead City/Beaufort. As we were coming into Morehead City we watched the sky darkening and rain clouds forming. Capt. Larry told Jane to get ready for a major rainstorm and within 15 minutes we were in a downpour. We slowed down and closed the eisenglass on the upper helm. While this kept everything from getting soaked, we also lost visibility. Jane went below to prepare the lower helm for use when she reported that 2 of the 3 windshield wipers didn't work. Basically for a two-mile stretch we were steering by the GPS and chartplotter. It cleared a little and we decided to duck into the Morehead City Yacht Basin, rather than trying to make Beaufort. We thought we were home free as we approached the marina, but the skies opened up again as we came to the dock. We, and everything on the upper helm, were soaked! We got the boat secured and had dinner. The next day we debated over moving the boat to Beaufort. Because the weather was going to turn nasty in the next 24 hours, we decided it wouldn't be worth it. Instead we got the bikes down and headed into Morehead City's business district to pick up some marine parts, groceries and have lunch. We returned to the boat and battened down the hatches to get ready for our next blow. The weather caused us to spend an extra day here, and after 3 days it cleared and we headed out.

Our supper

We finally left Morehead City and started towards Elizabeth City, the gateway to the Dismal Swamp. We had planned to go into an anchorage on the first night out, but the wind was gusting fairly strongly and the wind direction indicated we would likely have a bumpy night. We passed up the anchorages we had chosen and was looking for somewhere to spend the night. There were no marinas in this stretch, but Capt. Larry noticed that one of the guides indicated a low cost dockage at the R.E. Mayo Fish Co. near Hobucken, NC. Jane called to get the scoop and we learned that this was a commercial fishing dock that we could tie up to for the night for 40 cents a foot ($16). They asked if we would be interested in any fresh seafood, and although we were looking for shrimp, they only had scallops and flounder. We were told to call (they had no VHF radio) when we got closer and they would have someone there to help us tie up. We got close and were getting ready to dock, but we couldn't get in touch with them, because we had no cell phone service. After 20 minutes of trying to raise them, we decided that we would have to dock ourselves.

Filleting Mr. Flounder!

Jane was able to get us into the dock and after we tied up we headed for the office, only to find that the dock we had tied up to was cordoned off because it was in such need of repair.

Ladies' facilities at Mayo Fish Co.

Jane stepped on a plank and the entire plank came up causing her to almost fall. We paid our dock fee and bought a 2 lb. bag of scallops. When we were asked if we wanted any flounder, Capt. Larry, thinking that we were talking about fillets, said sure.

Hmmmmmm! Grilled flounder

He was taken to the ice house and presented with a 4 lb. whole flounder that we could clean on their fish table! Jane went back to the boat to get a fillet knife and we ended up with two really nice fillets that we grilled with green onions, butter, lemon juice, and Cajun seasoning. It was probably the best meal we have had on the trip. The next morning we fueled up at Mayo's commercial fuel dock and headed for another anchorage.

Refilling the water tank

"Libations & Lies" session

We crossed the Pamlico River and headed up the Pungo River on our way to a marina on Upper Dowry Creek. The trip seemed to drag on as we were on fairly large bodies of water with monotonous scenery. We arrived at the Dowry Creek Marina in the early afternoon and thought the marina was a real gem. Some like fancy marinas and yacht clubs that are all spit and shine, but we prefer a more laid back style and that is what we found at Dowry Creek. We were invited to a "libations and lies" session at 5 p.m. and we met a lively group of boaters and partied for the next couple of hours. We accepted an invitation to a birthday party the next day. However, when we arose the next morning we found that a storm was forecast to roll across the area in the next couple of days, and we wanted to make it to Elizabeth City to ride out any storms and stage for our trip through the Dismal Swamp. We cast off and started up the waterway to an anchorage that night.


Although we were on a leisurely pace of 7-8 knots, we arrived at the anchorage that we had pick out around noon. Feeling that it was to early to stop, we changed our plans and continued on up the Alligator River to a recommended anchorage in the Little Alligator River. When we arrived at the anchorage Capt. Larry had his doubts as to how comfortable it would be given the little protection. The guides noted that the anchorage would not be good with westerly to northwesterly winds. Since the winds were from the east and forecast to change to the south-southeast, we dropped the hook, grilled some pork chops, and watched another of Todd's movies. Problem was, the winds never shifted until around 4 a.m. and the anchorage was very exposed to easterly winds. We were bumping miserably all night long. This lack of comfort was compounded by Jane's frustration at not having cell phone or internet coverage.

A blimp at the Elizabeth City blimp factory

Bavarian Cream at free dock

At the wine & cheese party

Jane with her roses and Rose Buddy

With the Laceys at the museum

The next morning we decided to leave earlier than usual to get out of the anchorage. Talk about being out of touch. Jane finally got connected to Facebook and saw all of these postings about Osama bin Laden. We turned on the satellite radio and listened to the news as we crossed Albermarle Sound. It was difficult to focus on the news and dodge the numerous crab pots in the sound and Pasquotank River. We arrived at Elizabeth City just before noon and were delighted to have a slip available at Elizabeth City's free dock. We got settled in and then took advantage of a free shuttle provided by a local grocery store between the docks and the store. We were able to restock with the things that are hard to carry on our bikes (mostly beer!). We returned to the docks and were invited to a wine and cheese party hosted by the "Rose Buddies" and the Elizabeth City Visitor's Center. Click on this Rose Buddies link and you can read about the tradition. Jane got her roses, some wine & cheese, and everyone received a briefing about what to expect in the Dismal Swamp. We left the party and had happy hour aboard Confetti with Dick & Lace Lacey from Texas. We had met them at the Port St. Joe mini-rendezvous last January. We went out to eat and turned in for the evening. The next day we went to the Museum of the Albermarle and then to a seafood restaurant with Dick and Lace. The seafood was some of the best we have had on the trip. The rest of the day was spent on boat chores and waiting for the storm to arrive.