The sun shining through the trees was a most welcome start to the day. Our departure time was 8:00 which would get us to the North Landing Bridge just before its 9:00 scheduled opening. We brought our lines onboard and eased out of our space along the facedock, gladly putting Great Bridge behind us. Four extra nights there, first because of weather and then waiting for the impeller, was more than we bargained for. For a few moments we were even heading due south. Yes! Several more boats followed in behind us as we passed the first Great Bridge-Albemarle Sound marker.
With great timing, we arrived at the bridge and only had eight minutes to wait. Once it swung open, we led the parade of boats through and then past a tow waiting on the other side. It wasn't long before some of the go-fast boats overtook us. Most called on the radio for a slow pass. Others, like the moron pictured below, just sped by and rocked our world with his wake. Other than that, it was a great ride. The sun was heating up the pilot house nicely and we even opened a door on several occasions to regulate the temperature. There wasn't much in the way of scenery. Passing under the Pungo Ferry Bridge was interesting, but passing daymarker 61 was the highlight. This meant that we had crossed into North Carolina.
Crossing the border always brings a smile to my face. Back inside, I checked the status of our cactus to see who won the bet. Although not fully opened, the bloom was showing pink. Barry and I called it a draw and went back to watching for stumps and deadheads. Some were easier to spot than others. At 12:30 we passed through Coinjock.
Most of the large boats that had passed us earlier in the day had tied up at Coinjock Marina to take on fuel and/or call it a day. We passed Kingsland, a 53-foot Selene, once more and got a good look at our younger and larger sister ship. The miles clicked off quickly and soon we had passed ICW Milepost 50. Only 533 more to go to reach Savannah. Birds basked in the warm afternoon sunshine while sitting atop daymarkers.
We were making great time and would have loved to made more miles. Daylight was in short supply though, so we ducked into an anchorage just off Camden Point. We enjoyed the warmth of the sun in the pilot house and watched it set beyond the tree line.
We hope to leave at first light tomorrow morning and make our way across Albemarle Sound. We have one bridge that will need to swing open for us, but that occurs upon request. The plan is to anchor in Belhaven tomorrow night.
No comments:
Post a Comment