The Alligator River Does Have Alligators

I was sure that once I left South Carolina I must have also left any chance of swimming with alligators.  So when I looked at The Alligator River on the charts and I noticed that it resembled the shape of an alligator (or so i think!) I just decided that must be why they call it that.  Clearly I was just ready to be done with worrying about little Captain Louie (or I) becoming snack food so I just told myself what I wanted to believe.  We anchored right off the shore of the Alligator River Preserve and the sound of the frogs and other critters all night was both deafening and peaceful.  And, yes, we did enjoy a very nice swim off the boat that evening.  We didn’t see any alligators but it turns out indeed there are plenty there.  I know… it’s called the ALLIGATOR RIVER!

The best part is we got to do some great sailing on the river.  It felt like it had been weeks since I’d been able to turn off the motor and zip along under sail and it was fantastic.  We set ourselves up for the night right at the north end to get an early start across the Albemarle Sound since Predict Wind called for 30 knots of “breeze” from the north the later the next day.

Enjoy this 360 degree video of sailing on the Alligator River (no alligators were seen).

The Greatest Little Shrimpin’ Dock!

We spent a night tied up at the RE Mayo Seafood Docks in Hobucken, NC.  After seeing so many shrimp and crab boats (and crab pots everywhere!) it was great to see a working shrimp boat dock.  We even picked up some shrimp to BBQ that night and it was the best I’ve ever eaten!

RE Mayo Seafood Docks is a tradition along the ICW and a great stop for fish, shrimp, scallops, and every possible boat part you could ever need!  Wow… their store seriously has everything you need to fix your boat!

I hope you enjoy this 360 degree video of us leaving the docks.  Pan around to see everything!

 

Sailing Through Bogue Sound in North Carolina – 360 Degree Video

A couple weeks ago, Travis, self-proclaimed First Mate (a title he gives himself in this video and definitely has earned!), shows you the Bogue Sound from our bow.  We had a really great day with some nice wind for sailing.  We started off in Swansboro, NC after a night at Dudley’s Marina and were headed past Beaufort, NC to Sanitary Seafood because we were craving some delicious shrimp!

Unfortunately, I yet again had engine troubles once we started her back up.  We were just a few miles from Morehead City, NC when the engine overheated.  We dropped anchor and I tried to trouble shoot but everything that worked in the past did not work this time.  As it was getting dark and we were in the ICW with no great place to anchor I called the tow boat and they quickly got us to Portside Marina in Morehead City.  We stayed there a couple days and I got the engine fixed up (busted a hose clamp and had a badly leaking fresh water cooling hose).  We also enjoyed some of the absolute best food I had in months at Floyd’s 1921.  I will seriously go out of my way to stop here again just to eat at Floyds!

The wind noise is a little much in this video.  Sorry!  We were just so happy to have wind!!!