Our first overnight guests!

Can you tell they're brothers?

Our first overnight guests are the Captains' brother and his wife.  They're sailors and lived on a houseboat in San Fransisco.  Good times always follow when we get together.  We were excited to have them as our first guests!

Trouble in a dinghy!

We're up the next morning and leisurely depart the dock by 10:00 am.  The winds are light so we motor out to the sound and up the Chowan River to an good anchoring spot just outside the Rocky Hock creek.  After a 4-person consult on the anchor, we grilled burgers.  My sister-in-law & I headed out in the dinghy first for a quick reconnaissance of the creek.  The afternoon are naps and kindles, along with a leisurely afternoon discussion in the cockpit about sail boats including Gunboats (how do you dismast one of those?) and Benetteaus (keels shouldn't fall off).  Then I headed out in the kayak for a deeper expedition up the shallow creek, only to find a small marina with a few power boats. BIL headed out in the dinghy next, and headed all the way into the tiny marina, tied up and went for a walk.  More naps.  Captain comes out and heads off in the dinghy, only to come back for the aux fuel tank and say, "Come on.  You have to go under the bridge."  Off we go.  We went at least a mile up river and only saw one house.  On the way back, I said, "Look a kayak."  That's your SIL in your kayak.  Oh, yeah.  Grilled chicken and chop salad for dinner.  Best anchor hold yet.  Minimal swing, but as usual, the wind picked up in the middle of the night.

A good day of sailing

We had a lazy morning at anchor, with coffee and smoothies and BIL heading out in the kayak.  The wind started to pick up nicely, so we hauled up anchor by 10:00 am (nice to have extra crew members) and had the sails up 15 minutes later as we turned back into the main part of the Chowan.  The brother's were quickly playing with sail configurations/trim and different tacks.  It was a beautiful day to sail with 10-15 kts of wind and max speed of 7.5 kts.  We started with a close reach, then a beam reach and finally a run.  

I love these guys!  Three way Cunningham sail trim consult!

Every day is something new.  We finally got around the a wing & wing configuration.

Heading into Edenton the boys successfully set up wing & wing that took us almost to the marina.  With two line handlers, docking was easy-peesy.  Back into town for lunch at the ice cream shop, followed by a stop at the coffee house to stock up on whole beans.  While the boys took their afternoon naps (it turns out the forward berth with a hatch open and a fan is a comfortable spot in the afternoon heat), the girls discovered the rocking chairs on the upstairs porch at the Barker House--in the shade with a breeze (they also had an amazing assortment of southern cookbooks--biscuits, shrimp & grits, corn bread and Natalie Duprie to name a few.  We always end up perusing cookbooks somewhere!).  Everyone reconvenes in the cockpit to discover there is a wedding in the park outside the marina--yep, we found another party.  The Captain closes us the boat and turns on the air, "because he wants to wash down the exterior."  Dinner is pasta with ground turkey & marinara, interrupted by the arrival of a trawler from Makey's/Plymouth.  "You have to go to Christy's for white pizza!"  THE BRIDE HAS ARRIVED, makes even the boys look up.

Beautiful downtown Edenton Marina & Lighthouse

Family departs Sunday morning.  I stepped out into the cockpit to see the Captain watching his brother scrubbing the may flies off the deck.  "What's going on out here?"  "He volunteered!"  The second our guests head down the dock, Amelia comes out to reclaim her territory!  We borrowed the marina courtesy car to go grocery shopping (but no beer, because it's before noon on Sunday--Captain will have to make a second trip), cleaning and naps.  As usual, we've found a another party on the waterfront.  It's Music by the Bay sponsored by the Barkley House--Justin Holland & Friends is playing acoustic country right across from the marina.  We sneak onto the upstairs porch of the Barkley House and watch from the shade of the rocking chairs with a breeze.  Purchased the books, History of the Dismal Swamp and Cornbread Nation.

Music by the Bay (with Odin in the top right)

After a lot of hype, we finally made it into Edenton, NC

Sunset with Odin in front of Plymouth (replica Roanoke River) lighthouse

Replica of iron-clad CSS Albemarle

Day 3 (Plymouth):  It's supposed to be 90F today, so we bolt early on the bicycles for a provisioning run, do a few chores (spinnaker out on deck for an airing out) and then head to the town museums as the heat hits.  Plymouth is a very historic town.  It was founded in 1787 as a port of entry (you could head up the Roanoke River to Virginia).  As a result, there was a large Civil War naval battle fought here, chronicled at the Port O'Plymouth museum including a scale model of the Albemarle.  At the end of the war, most of the town was burnt to the ground, but there are still some beautiful old homes here.  They do reenactments every year ("We invite the Yanks down, charge them money, whoop their butts and send them home!").  Our next stop was the God's Creation Wildlife Museum.  This is the personal collection of mounted animals of a local sportsman.  No matter how you feel about hunting, this is an impressive collection of local and African animals.  It was very educational and included a "touch" table.  Very tasteful done and worth our time.  Our last stop was the Maritime Museum across from the marina.  (Leave yourself lots of time to have Brenda walk you through.  She can tell you the history of the area better than anyone.)  Back to the boat to crank up the air conditioning, do a few loads of laundry and watch another movie.

View of the new city docks from the lighthouse

Day 3:  It's a lazy day and forecast to be cooler.  The Captain has found some trim to paint.  Brenda shows up at the dock at 10:00 am and invites us up into the lighthouse (on her day off) for more history lessons.  This is a replica of the original lighthouse that was at the mouth of the river (it burnt down shortly after being built). The second, original lighthouse (and last surviving of this style) is in Edenton.

When all else fails, the Captain can start taking bicycles apart

Leaving the Roanoke River for Albemarle Sound

Day 3:  I wake up to find the water level on the river has dropped significantly (the step off the boat to the dock is no longer a jump).  Great news since we have to go back under (preferably) the 50 ft bridge again.  We're up early and off by 7:00 am.  The winds were forecast to be out of the north (and we can't sail directly into the wind) so the plan was to motor the 14 miles across the Albemarle Sound to Edenton.  However, after an hour motor off of the Roanoke River, we discover the winds are more of a quartering wind so we unfurl the genoa for about an hour (and watch the winds slowly shift back to the north--and our track slowly wanders off our intended course).  We finally give up and furl the genoa and motor into Edenton.

Stats:  Total time 2:42, total distance 14.1 NM, average speed 5.2 kts.

Docked in front of the "other" Roanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton free Town Marina

We knew there was a break water at the marina, however, we are caught by surprise by the narrow entrance.  We were able to dock easily on the only T-head and were quickly met by Carmella with a package (Amelia the cat's medication) and given another run-down of the history of the lighthouse ("Are we lost?  We were docked in front of the same lighthouse in Plymouth?")  We checked in, walked down Main Street, and did some damage at the True Value before heading back for naps.  (Brenda called to make sure we made it across the Sound OK.  God bless her, I wish I had a given her a hug goodbye!)  Our first guests arrive (the Captain's brother & his wife) around 4:30 pm and we went for another walk through town before dinner at Waterman's (every single person who asked where we were headed next said we had to eat at Waterman's.)

We've been hearing about Edenton since the Dismal Swamp Visitor's Center.  Every time we told someone we were going to spend some time in NC and the Albemarle, they told us you HAVE to go to EDENTON.  Did it live up to the hype?  Yes.  A beautiful, quaint, small town on the water.  Several excellent restaurants, a coffee house and anything else you need is here.  Highly recommend. If you make one stop in the Albemarle, it should be here!

Columbia, NC to Plymouth

Day 3 Columbia:  My plan for today was bicycle to Family Dollar or Dollar General to buy an ice cube tray (because, it turns out, that even in 80F our freezer still freezes things!  Exciting!)  Hubby decided to join me and we end up spending $32!  We have family members coming to visit, so we splurged on $20 sheets.  A few citronella candles and some rug remnants made him realize--HE MUST ALWAYS TAKE A BACKPACK (I have mine)!  Sun tea is put out on deck and blankets are put out in the sun.  My Captain, Oh Captain makes an excellent chop salad with blue cheese dressing for lunch, then I'm off to the winery for some air conditioning and free wifi.  An afternoon rain shower had me scrambling to bring everything inside.  The air conditioning wass turned on & a Harry Potter movie was started.

Albemarle Loop/Columbia to Plymouth:  Yes, tropical storm Ana made landfall in SC last night.  It's still a day away from us and the winds are forecast to be 15 kts with heavy rain tomorrow.  We elect to leave Columbia, since our 3 days are up--although I'm sure they would have let us stay.  The First Mate makes it on deck a little earlier to help remove the sail cover, wipe down the windows and solar panels and start the checklist.  We wave goodbye to the cruising group having coffee on the dock in their pajamas and casually shove off the dock by 7:00 am (Captain likes arriving at lunch time so he's motivated to get up earlier now).  It was a little stuffy this morning, but there is a nice breeze on the water.

First Mate at the helm and the Captain on the sails when he announces, "we're gonna sail under the bridge."  We're gonna what?!  He lowers and starts an engine to make the First Mate feel better.  It makes sense, since we're only halfway to our destination.

Bald eagle port side before buoy 13!  Flew below the tree line down the river to his nest.

The next bridge is only 50 ft.  (We've done it before in Edgewater!)  The Captain checks the water height before we head under.  I can't watch (I'm later told, I should have watched to see if our VHF whip touched, for future reference.)  We call ahead to the the city dock & Brenda gives me some info and says she'll meet us at the dock.  We haven't beaten the rain, but she insists on meeting us.  We were warned about the current and as usual, go with plan B (the docks are 90 degrees to a river with a several dams upstream).

Columbia is our sleepiest town so far.  Downtown closes at 2:00 pm, so we eat on the boat.  I decide on a quick run to the Piggly Wiggly since we will be stuck on the boat tomorrow.

Day 2:  Tropical Storm Ana passes by.  If the winds here were 15 kts, we couldn't tell.  We are sheltered by the lighthouse and the wakes from the fishing boats don't even reach us at the dock.  Movies, reading, naps.  The Captain is convinced the rain showers are over so he bolts on the bicycle (Walgreens to check for movies, McDonalds for lunch, and grocery store for celery & a bell pepper for the Red Beans & Rice).  He comes back drenched.  "Was it worth it?"  Nope, but he brought me a snickers bar.

Plantation to Columbia, NC

Tight channel out of the Albemarle Plantation

We decide to continue the loop.  We pick Columbia as our next stop because favorable winds will allow us to sail across the Albemarle Sound for the 15 mile hop.  It's a tricky exit from our slip at the Plantation.  The wind is blowing us onto the dock and we have a piling to clear.  The Captain sets up the lines, and then First Mate (who has to pull in those lines) asks a few questions.  However, the departure is uneventful, with the help of a boat hook to fend off the pilings.  Nice.

The Captain remains at the helm and the First Mate was running the sails as we head across the Sound.  However, after putting up the main and genoa, it's a broad reach all the way across with no tacking required. We have 10-15 kts of wind and average 7 kts under sail!  After furling the sails to the enter the Scuppernong River channel, the starboard engine (yep, Lokie) refuses to start.  After starting Thor and doing a few circles, the Captain gets it running (starter solenoid going bad?) and the First Mate heads up on deck to prep lines and fenders for arrival.  The Cap anticipates a port side arrival (which means it will be starboard), when the new fender goes overboard--the Captain tied that knot!  We'd been meaning to practice man-overboard drills and there it is.

We called ahead to Columbia to let them know we were coming.  Upon arrival and a slow reconnaissance pass, we find the wind is blowing us off the dock, but I got a line around a cleat before the stern swung out.  The crew is getting braver, so the Captain pulls the boat up to the dock with the bow line and the First Mate jumps off, grabs a stern line and pulls the stern onto the dock.  Every docking is different!  The end result is a very sheltered dock with free power, water, bathrooms and showers.  When we step off, we are at the end of Main Street.  Someone immediately stops by to say hello and directs us to Sandy's for lunch (free wifi).

The boss went back down the dock for an action shot.

The grocery store is 0.8 miles away, so we unload the folding bikes and backpacks and head off--(we're out of olive oil, Luzianne tea bags & diet coke.  Not a crisis.  Worth the trip).  As moderately serious road bikers, we feel a little silly on the child-size folding bicycles ("I bet I look like a circus bear") but it makes the 0.8 in 76F weather a quick errand.  "I can strap a 12-pack of Yuengling to the rack on the back.  I'm not kidding."  We celebrate with sundowners & kindles in the cockpit and enjoy the breeze.  Dinner is homemade coleslaw, iced tea (yep, this is perfect for the boat.  Don't know why it took that long.  And I have simple syrup I use in coffee!) and grilled.  We take an evening dinghy ride under the bridge and farther up the river.

Sweet tea, ya'all

Day 2 Columbia:  The Captain pumped up dinghy and does a water line scrub.  "Being Captain is basically like being head janitor."  I do another grocery run on the bicycle.  We walk down to coffee shop in the winery, then on to the boardwalk where I get attacked by horse flies (Husband hits me on the back.  "That wasn't a fly.  I just smacked you.")  I'm out--see you back at the boat!  Lunch is a gluten-free frozen pizza (a special treat when you have to buy it, get it home while it's still frozen & cook it in our bent pizza pan because the oven is only 10" wide!)  Afternoon naps are followed by a wine tasting at the winery (The Captain purchased 3 bottles of wine--budget out the window!  These free docks are killing us.)  I go out for a kayak while Captain rides his bike.  The Captain and Amelia the cat take another nap before our evening out.  It turns out the Oyster Bar is out of oysters and we're back at the boat before the music starts (dinner was still very good with excellent service).  Nice try, honey.

WINERY!

Our attempt to get off the beaten path had landed us in another party.  The pontoon boat that gives free rides shows up along with 3 trawlers and a sailboat that are here for an 80-person Cypress Cruising Club Reunion.

Docked off the end of Main Street.

Yes, we're aware of Tropical Depression Ana off the coast.  We are off the ICW, up the Albermarle Sound, and up the Scuppernong River in a relatively sheltered dock.  We'll wait and see.  We've anchored out in 25 kts+.  The forecast is for 17 kts where we're at.

Sunset in Columbia, NC