Day 151 Atlantic Yacht Basin -Chesapeake, VA

We left Alligator River Marina and decided to go all the way to Atlantic Yacht Basin to be sure and get a space to hang out until the hurricane is over.  Apparently everyone else has the same idea because they told us they were expecting about 60 more boats in the next day or so.  It was a long day but we arrived about 6:30 PM and they put us in a covered shed with 3 boats in front of us and room for another 2 behind us.  It's like a 3 sided shed so we feel pretty safe here.  Unfortunately we can't get any TV or radio so it's just the two of us.  We have a few days before this storm arrives so we'll ride our bikes around the area and check it out but I think it's going to be pretty boring.  I could never keep our boat here permanently because I'm already claustrophobic!  If it appears to be unsafe to stay here, we'll get out and find a place to stay.

I just learned that the hurricane is headed for Norfolk and that's just 12 miles from here so we may have to rethink staying on the boat.  At least we have a couple of days to figure it out.  More later......

Days 149-150 Dowry Creek Marina to Alligator River Marina

Mike was able to repair the engine which saved us time as well as money.  I keep telling him that I can now refer to him as "Mr. Fix-It" as he's getting pretty good as repairs.  My dad was so good as repairing anything that Mike asked me if he could now be called Keith.  I told him unfortunately he has a long way to go before that happens.

We were able to leave Dowry Creek Marina near Belhaven, N.C. and arrive here at a very small place called Alligator Creek Marina.  We passed through a wildlife refuge today where there are actually bears as well as alligators.  It felt as if we were the only people on earth today as we never even saw another boat.  It was so isolated.   We just found out about the hurricane yesterday so we are quickly heading north to get to the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Virginia where we plan to hunker down and ride out the storm.  We expect to get there on Thursday so should have plenty of time to prepare.  Hopefully it won't be too bad.  We didn't even know about the earthquake in the Washington DC area and of course didn't feel anything being on the water.  What's happening with the weather?

Days 146-148 Oriental NC to Belhaven NC

We left Beaufort on Friday morning and timed it so we only had to wait about 15 minutes for the lift bridge to open.  We had a short but enjoyable cruise to Oriental, NC hoping to tie up to the free dock but there was already a boat there and not enough room for us.  Right next to the free dock was the Oriental Inn and Marina which is quite small but very nice so that's where we stayed.  The people there were very accommodating and happy to have us so we enjoyed an afternoon swim and visiting with the people on the neighboring boat.  It appeared to be where all the shrimp boats come in as there were quite a few there.

We left Oriental heading north to the town of Belhaven traveling through the Neuse River which was very wide and calm.  Actually it was very calm and we saw few other boats throughout the day.  We approached Belhaven and tried to contact the marina which looked totally out of business.  The town is so small that I wonder if you can even call it a town.  After hitting bottom and almost getting stuck, we got out of there and headed to a marina a little farther away called Dowry Creek Marina which is where we are today.  We've had a little overheating issue with the engine so Mike is trying to fix it himself but we may have to stay here until we can get a mechanic to look at it.  This place is very isolated but they have a pool so I may take a swim later today.  Hopefully, we won't be here too long.

Day 145 - Beaufort, NC

We left Carolina Beach Tuesday morning heading for Beaufort, NC (pronounced Bo-fort) and had to pass through Camp LeJeune, a USMC base where Mike did advanced training after he finished basic school back in 1968.  Fortunately they weren't doing live fire exercises because it would have delayed us for hours.  The scenery along the route was really beautiful.  There was a swing bridge opening only on the hour and as we were approaching, we saw another boat waiting.  As we got closer we saw it was some nice people we had met at Harborwalk Marina in Myrtle Beach last week.  We agreed to meet up here at Beaufort and we enjoyed a great dinner with them on Tuesday night.

This is a neat little town that is quite old and very interesting to walk through.  The marina is right on the boardwalk with lots of activity.  The only issue we've had is the singer at the restaurant right outside our door.  He has been singing until midnight and it's been impossible to sleep.  Also, the neighboring island is Carrot Island and today we saw the wild horses near the shore.  We're leaving tomorrow morning heading for Oriental, NC which is only about 25 miles. 

Day 141 - Carolina Beach, N.C.

We arrived here in Carolina Beach yesterday and decided to stay over an extra day and rest up as well as ride bikes through the town.  Also, since it's Sunday, there will be more boats on the water.  This is definitely a beach community and reminded us a lot of Port Aransas, Texas.

We were on our way to this marina yesterday when Mike saw a guy on the dock waving at him.  He thought he was being friendly and waved back.  All of a sudden, he came over the radio with "this is a no wake zone!  Please slow down!".  Well, Mike immediately slowed down as he hadn't seen the sign and was getting ready to apologize via the radio when he came on again and said "trawler trash".  We were pretty shocked but it's been a joke that we're not trailer trash but trawler trash.  Oh well......

We plan to leave tomorrow and head about 50 miles north.

Day 139 - Georgetown, SC to Myrtle Beach

We left Charleston, SC on Wednesday morning heading for Georgetown and it was a rather long day.  We thought we had a muffler problem and ended up staying over 2 nights and fortunately everything ended up OK.  Georgetown is a really cute city with a historic district right by the waterfront and I rode my bike along Front Street checking out some of the little shops.  I discovered the Kudzu Bakery and got some great bread and dessert items.  Mike and I had dinner at the Rice Paddy Restaurant which was excellent.

We left this morning and after a 6/12 hour cruise arrived at a marina near Myrtle Beach ahead of a storm. It was an interesting journey today as we encountered several swing bridges which open on request and they have to stop all traffic on both sides.  Some of the scenery along the waterway was just beautiful and the closer we got the Myrtle Beach, the more activity we saw.  This is definitely a vacation town and we encountered numerous jet skis all around us.  We'll be leaving in the morning heading north.

Day 136 Charleston

Today is Tuesday, August 9th, and I returned from New York City Sunday night.  What a trip!   Sherrie and I came up with a word we used over and over again - overwhelming!  The city is a great place to visit but we were ready to leave after 5 days.  Lauren on the other hand loved each and every moment and is ready to move there.  She's actually considering attending FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) for her 4 years of college but it's a little early to make a decision like that.

Sherrie had rented a small (or should I say tiny) apartment on 14th St. which was a 3rd floor walkup and after climbing those stairs several times a day as well as all the subway stairs, we estimated that we had climbed about 1,000 steps in the 5 days.  We started to feel like regular New Yorkers.  .  I even got yelled at on the subway by a woman whose daughter I fell against while trying to sit down because the train lurched forward.  I was speechless.

While Lauren was in class, we toured the city by the on-off bus and got to see things we would have missed on foot.  The tour guide was great and gave us many tidbits of information.  We got off and toured the ground zero sight and saw the new building going up and then took the Staten Island Ferry around the Statue of Liberty and saw the beautiful New York skyline from the water.  Mike and I will be cruising through there next year.

Of course there was plenty of shopping and eating - our favorite place is Little Italy.  Once Lauren was out of class, it was off to the boutiques and sample sales she had heard about.  This grandmother was worn out! 

The day of our departure, Lauren went with a friend and her mom to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit but unfortunately the line was 31/2 - 4 hours long and she wasn't able to see it.  He was a designer who committed suicide last year.  Mike just read that it was the most popular exhibit they have ever had.

Now it's back to reality and we're leaving Charleston tomorrow morning.  Our first stop will be Georgetown, SC about 65 miles north.