Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Oriental to Norfolk



Coast Guard Station in Alligator River


Sunset in Scranton Creek

Bridge over Alligator River




abandoned Marina in Pungo Ferry, VA



Sunrise Monday Morning

North Landing Bridge

Centerville Turnpike Bridge

Norfolk Southern RR Bridge 



At Great Bridge we had to wait for the tugs to move the pipes through before we could move. 


lock sign


Goose nesting in the lock area

Waterside

Sunset over Portsmouth, VA


Well, we made it to Virginia. When we said good-bye to the Hudson Family we knew we had 180 miles to cover to reach our destination. Since we had traveled this section before we knew what to expect. Thankfully, the waterways of North Carolina were kind to us. We had some wind and current issues but, that was to be expected.  As we left Oriental the Pamlico Sound was full of Sailboats using the gentle and constant breeze to move them across the water.We made it all the way past Belhaven and anchored out in Scranton Creek. We woke up Easter Sunday to a wonderful sunrise and relatively peaceful water. We had the 50 mile Alligator River Cut to traverse first thing. We were in the cut with 4 other boaters and one sailboat. After the Alligator River we crossed the Albemarle Sound up past Coinjock and anchored out at an abandoned marina in Pungo River, VA. Our last leg took us through 5 bridges and one lock. Boy were we glad to see Norfolk.

Morehead City to Oriental


 The Hudson Family came down for a visit and traveled 23 miles with us from Morehead City to Oriental. The kids enjoyed us getting up on plane for a little bit and sitting on the dock box like it was a raft.

RR Bridge in Morehead City



Dredging work being done on the waterway



We all enjoyed our short visit in Oriental and definitely look forward to spending more time here in the future.

Even the Toucan's were ready for Easter with their bunny ears.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Morehead City Update

Portside engine compartments

Well, Sabastian got lots of time in the engine room this past week. I am glad I have a skinny tall boy who can fit anywhere. He replaced a burnt out light, helped  Andrew pull the new water line from under our aft bed to the engine room and help us out by getting to the aft side of our Kohler generator.

 Andrew had to tear apart our bed Tuesday morning as we awoke to the sound of water rushing into our boat.  Andrew replaced one section of the pipe and then later that night another section cracked somewhere between the aft stateroom and the engine room. In the picture above Sabastian is trying to find  the water line which is behind our fuel tank( the large grey tank to the far right of the picture).


For those of you that don't know this fact. My kids LOVE sleep overs and always ask for one if that option is available and sometimes they repeatedly ask thinking the other mom will maybe say yes THIS time. We had another sleep over on Friday night with Ashley, who's grandfather owns the Portside Marina.  Ashley comes to the marina just about everyday. Sabastian and Paisley have enjoyed playing with Ashley.





We had a rough Saturday like everyone else here in the South. We were lucky to only get a fraction of what other had to survive through. The winds here averaged in the 50-70 mph rang from 4:00pm-11:00pm when the last of the tornado warnings in our area passed by. There were 60 tornado causing destruction here in North Carolina alone.

This sailboat was taking lots of stern slaps by 4:00pm when the winds started to pick up. The waves were running into the dock and over the dock.



On the starboard side of our boat the waves are crazy. As you see the port side is quiet. 

  
A close up of the waves on the outside bulkhead. 





The kids are excited to have a new hatch installed and not living with a bucket and towels to catch the water coming in from a crack when it rains. We installed in in the hopes that it will not leak. We will be testing the seal later today.  





Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Mile Hammock Bay to Morehead City


The fog was starting to lift by 8:30am. The Motoryacht was leaving and the sailboat was getting ready to set sail as well.


dolphin profile

Onslow Swing bridge run by the Marine Corp.



We are halfway to Morehead City, NC

Atlantic Beach Bridge



 The boys stayed at The Rudy Duck on New Years Eve. We continued down to Portside Marina, our stop for the week. After we tied up we got on our bikes and drove through town. The smell of fresh seafood was calling my name so we ended up at The Sanitary Restaurant for an early dinner.




Cool boat. Notice the wooden keg on the Starboard side just past the ladder.



The bar at The Sanitary Restaurant

our dockmates for two nights at Portside Marina