2025 October: Several days near New Bern NC

 25 October 2025

Depart: Alligator River / Sandy Point anchorage 8:20

Arrive: Gale Creek anchorage, NC 4:50

Distance: 67 nm (~ 8.5 hours)

 Anchored near the Alligator River Bridge, we did not have far to go to get to it. As I take the helm in the morning while Clark brings up the anchor, I had the job of steering to the bridge. If only I could tell visually where it was! The bridge is under construction, and all along the bridge cranes are set up. Without using the chart, it is near impossible to know which set of cranes is the right one to aim for. (in my opinion, Clark's opinion would differ of course!)

Sunrise at anchorage

Bridge under construction pictures ...

Bridge Silhouette

Looking back at bridge

After the bridge, we traveled the canal. Typical scenery is shown below.

We saw a couple of stumps in the water and one particularly large portion of a tree trunk too close to center of the channel for comfort.

We traveled the ICW all day today. We crossed Albemarle Sound, traveled the Pamlico River, passed by RE Mayo, ... The Albemarle Sound was so calm today, I didn't even realize we were crossing it until I noticed the chart showing our position. 

Along the way, several boats passed us.  One of us haled "Sunset Deli" to request a slow pass. 

Tonight we anchored in a place I do not believe we have chosen in the past. Clark positioned us to be "staged" to arrive at our friend's house near New Bern, NC tomorrow.

Clark got some great sunset pictures as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Clark says it's the clouds that make the difference in a blah sunset and a great one.

26 October 2025

Depart: Gale Creek NC anchorage 9:00

Arrive: Fairfield Harbour, NC at Friend's dock 1:45

Distance: 36.5 nm

We have traveled up the Neuse River many times to visit our friends there. As such, the scenery was much the same as usual. I did see the two ferries crossing the river way up ahead of us but took no picture this time. One eye-catching thing I did notice today was a marker covered in birds. I took two pictures one with the sun on the marker and one into the sun to get the silhouette.

Traveling the channel into Fairfield Harbour was slightly challenging today. As we neared the channel, we saw a very small sailboat enter ahead of us and then proceed to tack down the channel in front of us. For a while I believe he had no idea we were following him.

Just past marina; entering channel to harbor

Small white sailboat up ahead in channel

Finally, he saw us and pulled over to one side to let us pass. As he waited for us to get by, he had to deal with his boom repeatedly passing from port to starboard and back again. He had to duck low every time and got clobbered a couple of times I'm sure. Pretty sure he was happy to see our stern!

No sooner did he get rid of us but another 20-something foot boat came in. He scooted over to the other side of the channel to hang out there for the boat to pass. 

Arriving Fairfield Harbour

When we arrived at our friend's (Ralph's) house, he was at work. Having been here before we knew where to go and tied up to his dock. Two neighbors of Ralph's saw us come in, dropped whatever they were doing a couple of houses down, and ran over to catch lines and assist. They helped us get secure and then left. 

Clark and I spent the next hour adjusting the lines to Clark's satisfaction. He knew that bad weather, a Nor'easter, was coming and wanted the lines "just so". Ralph's dock is a fixed dock. We tied to the poles on port and starboard side to hold us in place. The height of the water here is ruled by the force of the wind. The water goes up as the wind blows the water in. We had to be prepared to go up by as much as 3 to 4 feet with the coming storm.

Today, being a Sunday, some activity was taking place in the harbour. I heard a horn blowing and went to see what was happening and found sailboat races underway.

Power boat monitoring races and
blowing horn as signals to sailors

Race underway with several boats participating

While the races were underway, I noticed this older gentleman lying on a board moving through the water. As I watched, he got it to lift up to surfing mode.

Around 5:00 or so, when Ralph got home, we chatted for a while, but Ralph had to rise early the next day for work, so we said an early goodnight.

27 October 2025

Ralph was gone all day today for a work assignment that took him and some coworkers to Charlotte for some special training. He left the house around 6:00 a.m. The road trip was about 3.5 hours each way. The training time for each person was 7 minutes! Mandatory training for his job!

Since we had the day to ourselves, I took the opportunity to use Ralph's washer and dryer. I also cleaned the boat (inside) from one end to the other, i.e. ran a dust rag over everything and vacuumed. While I was busy with my chores, Clark was looking into our "autopilot drive stopped error" problem. He had some metrics from our work playing with the wires and an ohm meter. He read manuals and talked with the Krogen Express representative as well as another KE owner with a similar issue to get their perspectives. 

Our friend, Pat, whom we have known since doing the loop at the same time as us in 2015, also lives in the area. She agreed to come get me and take me grocery shopping. I got stocked up on fresh fruit and veggies!

Once I was done with my chores, I decided to take Ralph's new puppy named "Gilligan" / "Gilly" for short on a walk in the neighborhood. He said one neighbor had a dog named "Skipper" and another one a dog named "Ginger", so he needed a Gilligan to complement the group.

"Gilly" sniffing the local grounds

"Gilly" was a little unsure of the strangers (Clark and myself) who had invaded his home. So, later, I made sure we "bonded" by sitting together on his favorite sofa. We do not have our own dog, so I take advantage of loving my friends' dogs.

Gilligan on his dog blanket
About 8 months old

Even though Ralph had been in a car for 7 hours today, he offered that we could go out for dinner tonight. Many local places are closed on a Monday, so we had a bit of a drive to a place known for great hamburgers - "The Bern Bar and Grill". The burgers were cooked to perfection and very moist - probably the best hamburger I have ever eaten with the yummiest BBQ sauce! Clark got Fried Green Beans that were soooo good too. I ate so many of his beans, I had to take the French fries I ordered home with me.

Clark made the mistake of sitting in front of a demon!

28 October 2025

The predicted storm came in over night. Even after spending so much time getting the lines "perfect" when we docked, Clark was out 5 times during the night circa 2:00 a.m. to make adjustments as the water rose. We kept hearing "bumps in the night". No sooner would he climb back into bed than we would hear a clunk like the boat hitting a piling, and he would be back out adjusting again. 

Ralph had loaned Clark high-water boots last night in case we needed them in the morning. Ralph was away this morning taking Gilly to the vet, so with no reason to get off the boat, we just stayed on the boat and observed the dock under water.

Fixed dock under water

Fixed dinghy dock (on left) 
well under water

Flooding near the trees on the corner

Ralph had a surveyor in for some work, and while he was here, asked him to calibrate his flag pole. The pink ribbon indicates water 4 feet above ground level.

Pink ribbon marks 4 feet

Clark worked on the autopilot problem again today. From his research, he determined that the #12 wire connecting the AP computer to the AP motor is the wrong size. The manual he has says it must be #8 wire. With #12 wire not enough volts arrive at the motor to help it push the rudder. After much thought and several calculations, Clark decided that he could improve the voltage to the motor by adding a second wire. He placed an order through Amazon to buy several feet of #10 wire to run parallel to the #12 already in place. 

To run two wires to do the job of one, he needed connector terminals at both ends. Although this is a commonly-needed electrical item, none of the local stores had this item available. Clark was scratching his head trying to figure out how to get one (he had to have the smallest size for the space available to mount it). I suggested he contact our local boat store in NJ and have it overnighted. Amazon could not deliver until Friday which wouldn't work for our schedule.

Lockwood's said they could have it shipped from their supplier overnight, and Clark ordered two. When he placed the order, he was not sure what the delivery charge would be. It turned out to be around $50 delivery charge for the two $8 parts. Oh well. It's a boat!

Clark was thrilled. Amazon tracking showed the wire would arrive in the morning - it did. The tracking for the connectors showed "by 9:00 p.m.". We had it in hand before lunch! He started running the wire as soon as it arrived. He did the "lion's share" of the work by himself; however, the wires run through some tight spaces, and eventually I got called on to help push while he pulled or vice versa. 

He had to crawl into some tight spaces for the work.

Crawling into the space behind the sofa
(he fits, I wouldn't)

All that can be seen of him once in place!

While working on this project the boat was "trashed" from the stern (motor) to the pilot house (computer). 

Ralph had proposed that we go out for dinner tonight. He invited Pat to join us. We went to an Italian place -- Gemelli Italian Deli and Bakery. Their pasta is homemade if you are willing to pay the $3 upcharge. Everyone paid the upcharge! The food was good and there was lots of it! Leftovers went home - even for Clark (unheard of for him not to clean his plate).

Although still higher than normal, the water had receded sufficiently that we could get off the boat and not have to wade to shore to get dinner out. 

29 October 2025

Poor Gilly has an "Elizabethan Collar" to wear to protect himself from harming his surgery. (He was neutered yesterday.)  This collar is less annoying than the "cone" aka the "collar of shame". Gilly does not even seem to be aware he is wearing it. That is until he tried to lie down and roll on the ground. He was confused that he could not just put his head down and roll as per usual. He figured it out after several failed attempts and got his roll in!

Ralph suggested that we have a crockpot pot roast for dinner. The two of us went to Publix to get the meat and vegetables. 

While we were gone, Clark continued to work on the Autopilot situation. No sooner did Ralph and I walk in the door than Clark called on the phone, "When will you be back? I need you to help with the wires." 

Sigh! I got to sit on the floor in the galley with my hand reaching into the back of the cutlery drawer. Clark got to climb back into his cubby holes as we pushed and pulled wires. This seems to be the job that will not end.

Once the wires were all in place, Clark wanted to run some tests. I crawled into the lazarette in the stern of the boat to hold the volt meter probes on the connectors while Clark operated the autopilot controls to check voltages. We used our cell phones to communicate test results back and forth. 

Once excused from duty, I ran off to take Gilly for another walk through the neighborhood. This time we stopped to admire some Halloween decorations down one of the cul de sacs.

Small fake cemetery compared to the ones we saw in New Jersey, but this one has a "Vacancy"!

Later, when I was doing something in the galley, Clark came to me and said, "Want to do some screwing?" Intrigued, I said, "Sure." Whereby he handed me a screwdriver and showed me which screws he needed to have tightened. Some while after we finished screwing, he said he was looking for a "stripper". Such language!  Turns out he needed to strip some wires for the AP project.

At night he puts the boat back in order and during the day it's a mess from one end to the other. Sadly, he's not done yet as the numbers on our tests did not turn out as well as he hoped! So I can look forward to more "screwing" and more "stripping" to come.

Tonight, Clark just barely had time to shovel some food in his mouth for dinner. He was busy working on the AP problem until I told him dinner was ready, and then he had to run out to join Ralph for a 7:30 HAM radio check-in session. I stayed on the boat. He said he had fun talking on the radio and hearing Ralph talk about the airport / airplanes where he works at the local airport.

Wednesday night television is the worst unless you like reality shows or game shows. When Clark returned, he turned on reruns of "Castle" for us to watch. Prior to him coming back, I had music playing while I read a book. 

30 October 2025

Today was our last day at Ralph's. We have been here longer than usual. Some of that was the weather issue. Some of that was Clark wanting to have a working autopilot for the trip to Florida. Today is the first day here that we have seen the sun!

Blue Heron fishing nearby this morning

Yesterday Ralph and I went shopping for the crockpot dinner. This morning we got the pot cooking for the 8 hours required. Ralph did the work; I basically watched the procedure. He had me throw in the vegetables. He said it was so that if it didn't turn out right, I could share in the blame.

Afterwards, Ralph had some errands to run, so I took Gilly for a long walk around the neighborhood. We meandered towards the Dog Park, and lo and behold, we met dogs along the way. Fortunately, the dogs were all very friendly and anxious to meet each other. 

Still not done working on the autopilot, Clark went off with Ralph to Morehead City to visit the West Marine and / or the Ace Rigging Hardware store located there. Clark needs 15 more feet of wire to complete his project. The local West Marine showed that they had the wire in stock, but the inventory lied! Having had this problem with West Marine multiple times (inventory does not match stock), he called ahead and was told they are out! Thus, the trip to Morehead City. Ralph and Clark had lunch while on their outing.

Meanwhile, I stayed at Ralph's house to work on a long overdue blog update. Once that was done, I spent a couple of hours with Gilly as it is our last day together. We took a walk around outside for a long while, then came in and played tug-o-war with Gilly's toy, and finally I sat down to play with my phone and Gilly took a nap in my lap. Nice day for me!

While we were outside, I saw the man with the power surf board that I saw the day we arrived. This time he was standing up!

As planned, our mutual friend, Pat, came over at 6:00 to join us for the crockpot dinner. She brought a pie and brownies for dessert. A veritable feast! 

We will be leaving in the morning, so we all said our goodbyes tonight. 

2025 October: Entering North Carolina

 23 October 2025

Depart: Hospital Point anchorage Norfolk, VA 8:20

Arrive: Great Bridge Free Dock, Chesapeake City, VA 12:15

Distance: 10 nm

We had a busy day planned for today with some challenges expected at the Great Bridge Bridge which currently offers only limited openings as opposed to the usual hourly openings. We had two objectives for today - 1) get fuel at Top Rack Marina which offers the best prices around and 2) grab a spot on the free dock near Great Bridge to run into town for a few provisions. The first of those was routine; the second was a Hail Mary hoping for a spot on the free dock.

Sunrise at Hospital Point anchorage

Yesterday we got to gawk at all the naval vessels located in Norfolk. 

Looking back at Norfolk, VA 

Today we traversed the  more industrial section of the Elizabeth River as we left Norfolk. 

Naval guard boat outside of Naval Station

Interesting conveyor belt resembled a 
section of a rollercoaster 

Yesterday, I saw "Gladiator" coming in with tugs. Today I saw the vessel tied up at a loading dock.

Majuro Vessel "Gladiator" at dock

The industrial structures come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

It is hard and nearly impossible to pass through this section of the Elizabeth River and not get stuck waiting for a railroad bridge. As we approached the Belt Line RR bridge, we heard that it would be coming down in the next few minutes. We were traveling a strictly enforced No Wake zone, so options were limited. Fortunately, we made it through that one with time to spare.

I took a picture "looking down the tracks" here knowing I would see no track.

Just after we passed under the bridge, we heard a boat we knew were in front of us hale the Belt Line Bridge to say there were now clear. Either we were confused by which bridge was the Belt Line, or they were. A quick check verified that they were confused. Whatever bridge they passed under was not the Belt Line. Some bridges here have numbers like #5, #6. 

We heard, "Belt Line Bridge going down momentarily." I looked back and watched as the bridge came down. I was surprised at how slowly it descended.

Belt Line RR bridge 

The next bridge challenge on this river is always the Southern #7 RR bridge. It is a rare day when we do not have to sit and wait for an opening of this one. It stands side-by-side with the Gilmerton Bridge. We do not need Gilmerton open, but almost nothing can get under Southern #7 when it is closed. 

These two bridges are around a bend in the river from the bridges we just passed. Approaching the bend, a boat, going faster than the required slow-speed, haled us to say they wanted to pass us on the port side. Clark told them to go ahead. 

Coming the other way around that bend was the tow "Island Fox". We had heard him on the radio and knew he was there. The guy passing us got a bit of a surprise when they got to the bend and quickly scurried over to the far side of the river passing in front of the tow to get out of the way. Apparently he was in a hurry to get to the closed #7 RR bridge, because immediately after rounding that bend, we both had to sit and wait for several minutes for the #7 to open. His boat "paced" back and forth in front of the bridge anxious to get going.

"Island Fox" Tug

Impatient boater waiting for the RR bridge

Train passing by

With the Southern #7 RR bridge, just because a train went by, it does not mean the bridge will open. We have had to wait in the past for three different trains to go by before it opened. The "anxious" boater hovered at the entrance to the bridge clearly impatient to be on his way. Finally, the bridge started to rise, but boaters have to wait until the green light showed. Finally, he, and we, got underway once more. 

Gilmerton Bridge down with
Southern #7 bridge currently going up

I find the architecture of the various bridges interesting - the way they are designed as well as how they open. Some lift like an elevator, some swing to one side, some raise up like an arm being lifted in the air. As we passed under the Gilmerton Bridge, I snapped a picture of the underside of the bridge.

Gilmerton Bridge
(looking up from underneath)

Passing through the Norfolk area, we always see an interesting variety of boats from the huge naval vessels all the way down to kayaks.

Tug on a lifted dock

Kayak

Small fishing boat

Motorized Kayak?
Fully loaded with fishing gear and
an electric motor

Boat for Sale. Interested??
Looks well used.
Phone number painted on side!

We also passed a tow going the opposite direction to us. The load he pushed had a cover over it.

Tug "Vengeance"

Covered tow

The slog through Norfolk at slow speed always takes a long time. Finally, we arrived at stop number one on today's adventure. For comparison purposes, when we got fuel on the C&D canal, the price was $4.90 a gallon for diesel. At Top Rack, the price was $3.33 including tax. Some places advertise their prices without tax, so care has to be taken when deciding if the price is a good one or not.

We had two dockhands helping us with fuel and pump out of the holding tank. One of them was "Mister Mike" from the Ukraine. We were underway from there at 10:20 with an empty holding tank and a full fuel tank.

With those chores done, our next challenge was to navigate the Great Bridge lock as well as the bridge. We had read online about a boater who recently had a collision between the lock and the bridge. He claimed it was poor management of the situation by the bridge / lock. Others claimed he was reckless and to blame. Regardless, I hoped we did not have any unpleasant incidents as we made our way through. 

Having left Top Rack when we did, Clark worried that we would (or had) missed getting into the lock for the 12:00 opening of the bridge. If we missed that, then we would have to float around until the 2:00 shift passed through. Normally they have strict deadlines for shutting off entry to the lock. Clark did not know whether to slow down because he could not make it anyway or speed up to see if he could squeeze in.

As it turned out, we ended up in the  middle of the pack. We got in line and made it in for the noon bridge opening. It took quite a while to load the lock. We heard the lock master hale a couple of boats outside the lock to tell them they would have to wait for the next lock through as there was no more time. A big boat, "Grey Goose", haled us on the radio and asked if they could raft up next to us to make this locking through. 

Clark said yes, of course, and we spent the next few minutes figuring out how to tie their big boat to ours. We had to put out fenders and grab their lines. Unfortunately, the first bow line they threw us was too short, so that had to be thrown back and an alternate deployed. The captain was all business - fine when talking to us but a bit gruff with his crew. If  Clark severely reprimanded me in front of others like he did his female crew member, I would be getting a lift home and leave him to it.

Anyway, by the time the lock gate closed, we had about 16 boats in there locking through with one lone boat sitting outside the gate. This lock is unlike many we traversed when on the Great Loop. The trip down is no more than one foot as opposed to multiple feet as on the Erie Canal, for example. It is a lot of fuss and bother to get situated for such a small drop.

When it was time to leave, Clark and I were so busy disconnecting ourselves from "Grey Goose" that we almost forgot to disconnect ourselves from the lock wall! Whoops! I got a job to do and better get to it. We were on the starboard side and were told to exit first then the port side of the lock would follow. We better get moving!

We came out the other side of the lock and had to station keep with 15 other boats for 45 minutes waiting for the bridge to open. Meanwhile, the lock operated another time for the now two boats that did not make the same lock through as us. When Great Bridge bridge opened at noon, 18 boats paraded out. Clark said the traffic on the Battlefield Blvd was backed up for a huge distance. 

As the bridge tender instructed the boaters to get a move on, staff at the Atlantic Yacht Basin yelled at the boaters to slow down! What a zoo!

The captain on "Grey Goose" said they planned to go as far as Coinjock Marina today. Since they would be ahead of us in line approaching the bridge, Clark asked them to give us a call back on the VHF radio to report on available space on the free dock on the far side of the bridge. Given the chaos between the bridge and the lock, Clark wanted to be on the south side of the bridge if at all possible so that we could leave in the morning when ready and not have to deal with a bunch of other boats waiting for the bridge opening. 

If they said there was no room on the far side, we would tie up to the wall between the lock and the bridge. They reported back that we would have plenty of room to tie up at the Museum's free dock! Other than one sailboat, the dock was empty.

Tied up at the free dock near the Museum

Sailboat at free dock;
Great Bridge bridge in the distance

We left the Norfolk anchorage at 8:20 and tied up here at 12:25 having traveled 10 nautical miles in 4 hours. That is approximately 2 miles per hour (statute miles). Even though it was only noon, it already felt like a long day.

Shortly after we left home, I realized that I had no brought along as much bread as I should have, so I was happy for the stop at Great Bridge as it is a short distance to the Kroger food store located here. To get there we walked through the museum grounds and then crossed over the bridge. It felt good to get some exercise. Since we were out, we also visited the Auto Zone located here for a diesel additive and the Dollar Tree to pick up a replacement napkin holder for the one that broke on this trip.

After stowing my food provisions, I decided to take a stroll through the museum grounds and learn about the importance of Great Bridge during the Revolutionary War and the battle that took place here on December 9th 1775 - this year they will celebrate the 250th anniversary of this event.

Later, as the sun was rapidly setting, I heard some yelling outside of the boat. It turned out to be three rowing teams going by us at speed, and the yelling was coming from each of the coxswains. 

It seemed surprising that they were out in the almost dark with no lights, but I expect that they had the water to themselves at that particular time so they could just move in a straight line at speed. Cool!

24 October 2025

Depart: Great Bridge free dock Chesapeake, VA 8:00

Arrive: Alligator River / Sandy Point anchorage, NC, 4:00

Distance: 62 nm

Yesterday, early on, Clark had said we could stay at the free dock for 2 nights if so desired. However, later in the day, he said that foul weather is approaching beginning of the week, so we should keep moving to take advantage of the dry days. This morning, he said he wanted to leave at 8:00. When he told me this, it was already 7:40, so I told him we would have to forgo breakfast until we were underway to get off the dock in time to meet that objective.

At just before 8:00, we pushed off from the free dock. It was so cold on the boat last night (57 degrees in our stateroom), I was happy to be moving in a southerly direction. My nose felt like I had an ice cube sitting on my face!

Shortly after we started moving down the waterway, the bridge opened and a fleet of boats came out! I could see one sailboat and many power boats coming up behind us.

Two bridge openings are required on this stretch of the ICW. They are timed to open 1/2 hour apart from each other. At our normal cruise speed, we cannot make the trip in 30 minutes, so Clark bumped up the speed to 9 knots to put us there on time. Even knowing they would have to wait at the second bridge, one-by-one the "can't wait to get there" folks made their requests to pass us.

Here they come!
On the "Virginia Cut"

The whole parade made its way through both bridges. At the second bridge the tender was telling captains to pick it up as he could not hold the bridge open for too long. He managed to keep it open until the last one made it through!

The various boats dispersed over time. We planned to anchor near the mouth of the Alligator River. "Grey Goose" from the lock planned to spend the night at Coinjock so turned off as we passed there. 

Besides traps, there is not much to look at in this anchorage -- few structures along the shore and that is about it. We were the loan boat in the anchorage.

Sunset on the Alligator River