Day 3 & 4 Coinjock NC to Oriental NC

As I suspected when I wrote my Day 2 update, there was a good chance we would be spending two nights in Coinjock due to the forecast. When the National Weather Service posted Gale Force Wind Warnings for Sunday night and all day Monday with Alligator River Swing Bridge closed at 8:00 am for the day, the decision was easy. Hunker down and deal with it.

While "just sitting" is not among my favorite things to do, we did manage to make good use of the time. We did a full interior cleaning, had the holding tank pumped out, filled the water tank with fresh water, and refueled Endless Summer with 291 gallons of diesel. And since it was Sunday, we had an array of NFL football games to watch but none more important than the Washington Redskins victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Rachel was beyond delighted!

As the sun set on our second night in Coinjock, the winds started to subside -- but not much. Unsure of what the next morning might bring, I made potential alternate routing to Oriental after consultation with Keith Mackey, a good friend and professional captain. I wasn't all that excited about exploring new territory through the large and often nasty Pamlico Sound, but if the Alligator Bridge was still closed, I would have no choice. Also, since there was now a "back up" of transient boats heading south, it could make for a very long day working past slower sailboats and trawlers.

When the sun came up today, there was a mild 7-10 mph but very cold 41 degree wind blowing through Coinjock. As multiple boats pealed away from the dock, we readied Endless Summer for our scheduled 124 mile, 6 hour trip to Oriental. As we exited the North River into Albemarle Sound, the waters were rather "choppy" but not awful. Upon learning that the Alligator Bridge was in fact opening on demand today, we continued along our original route.

As the day went on, the winds subsided, the seas were calm and the other boat traffic was well spaced and easily manageable. It turned out to be a perfect boating day! We arrived at River Dunes Marina, one of our favorite places along the ICW, in the early afternoon. A quiet and well protected harbor with floating docks, wonderful modern facilities and some of the nicest folks anywhere. What more could you ask for!

Tomorrow looks like another good weather day for our planned travel to Wrightsville Beach NC. But first, we must navigate Rachel's "least favorite" body of water, the notoriously nasty Neuse River. Please, oh please boating gods, make it a good day.