Finding Friends in Coinjock

Great Bridge to Coinjock  |  4.9 Hours  |  32 Miles   

Happy New Year, Everyone! We departed the courtesy dock in Chesapeake just as the sun rose over the trees. After a quick U-turn in front of the Great Bridge bridge, we had reached our first destination of the day -- the fuel dock at Atlantic Yacht Basin. Within 30 minutes we had topped off our tanks with 300 gallons of diesel and dropped our first B.O.A.T. Unit of 2025. The day was bright as we restarted and headed south down the ICW. Since today was a holiday, the Centerville Turnpike Bridge opened on demand as we approached.    

A short distance later we passed through the North Landing Bridge and had nothing but clear water in front of us for the rest of the day. We weaved our way through the quiet isolation of pine trees and wetland grasses without seeing another boat. Once in Currituck Sound the only boat we saw all day passed us (probably on its way to a fuel dock). This stretch of the ICW is very familiar to us. Without even looking at the chartbook, I now know that once we pass Marker 61 we have entered North Carolina. Again reinforcing the craziness of the past week, it was exactly one week ago that we crossed into North Carolina via Interstate 85 in our "sleigh" loaded with Christmas gifts. Today's winds were much stronger and we saw gusts to 30 knots as we crossed the Sound. Our stabilizers tamed the chop and we had a comfortable ride. The sound of gunfire echoeing across the water signaled that we were nearing Coinjock. We soon saw several camouflaged duck boats that charter out of Coinjock Marina. The landmark stump is a feature I always look forward to seeing. This year, it has the addition of a bird's nest in its upper branches. The flag in front of the Piney Island Lodge was showing the effects of the stiff breeze. Once in the cut, the wind diminished. I prepared the docklines and fenders as Barry brought Crossroads gently into the dock. Friends Pat and Tom welcomed us and helped tie us up. We took a short walk along the boardwalk and found the many poses of the decoys on the duck boats to be interesting.    

After a few hours of relaxing (and football watching) Barry decided he'd rather have Coinjock Marina's famous prime rib for dinner than the leftover chili and cornbread from last night. The sun was setting as the waxing crescent moon was doing the same. The combination of clear sky and the light wind made for a much cooler evening. Warm sunshine was still abundant in the restaurant, however, as Pat and Tom joined us for a beverage. It is always great to spend time with our Deltaville Selene friends. We will both depart tomorrow morning and cross the Albemarle Sound on our way further south.