Wednesday 10/18/2017 - North River to Pungo River

Yes, in one long day, we crossed the Albemarle Sound, went down the length of the Alligator River, and motored through the Albemarle - Pungo Canal to just inside the Pungo River.  What made it possible was 1.  Getting up at 5:30am and being underway just before 7, 2.  A 15 knot NNE wind that let us cross the Albemarle sound in just 2.5 hours, 3.  A perfectly timed opening of the Alligator River Swing Bridge.  Our plan had been to anchor just before the north entrance of the A-P Canal opening but since it was only 2:30pm, we decided to go on.  This meant getting to an anchorage at around 6:30 but I like the anchorages at the West end better, so we went ahead.  As it turned out, we anchored just as the sun was setting, about 6:45pm.  Of course, anchoring late meant showering in near darkness.  Fortunately, the wind had dropped to about 5 knots so the 60 degree temperature made it bearable. 

The sail across the Albemarle was in near perfect conditions.  We started out sailing wing on wing and then jibed over for a better angle into the cut into the Alligator River.  The waves were fairly rolly and confused but it was only 1 to 2 feet in height so it was better than days we had had on the Chesapeake.  The pass through the cut was fairly easy even through the chop was coming straight through.  We never saw under 8 or 9 feet of water.  Just after we passed through the cut (about 2 miles above the Alligator River Swing Bridge), we were passed by a very large (80 to 100') power boat that nicely asked for an opening.  When he called for an opening, the bridge tender told him he would have to be patient and wait for the troller that had already been waiting for 10 or 15 minutes, us, and the 50' sailboat coming up behind us.  I had the mainsail up and had planned to take it down to go through the bridge but given the timing, I asked the bridge tender (on channel 13) if they require sails to be down and he responded that it was my choice.  So I left it up (it has had a single reef since we left Middle River). 

The sail down the Alligator was very nice.  We were on a port tack very broad reach most of the way except for about 20 minutes that we were wing on wing and another 30 minute period when the wind died to around 5 knots and we motored.  In the Southern half of the River, we observed military F18s flying very low from West to East.   There must have been a total of about 14 or 16 planes and they always came in twos.  Three or 4 minutes later, another pair would fly by. Just after passing us, they would start a steep climb before going out of sight.  They seemed to be going full speed but it may have only appeared that way since they were so close to us.  As we reached the bottom of the Alligator, they all came back from East to West and we soon got tired (an annoyed) of the thundering noise.  It only lasted 15 or 20 minutes though. 

The Eastern section of the A-P Canal is a little unattractive with lots of stumps lining the shore.  But, to me, the Western half is very pretty.  It has almost no stumps lining the shores.  It is lined with tall evergreens on the South side and with deciduous trees on the North side.  Many areas of the shoreline are lined with tall grasses that sway in the breezes.  There are two 65' bridges that are easy to navigate and there are several open areas where there are no trees for a mile or so where the shores are lined by marshes with pretty grasses.

Crossing the Albemarle Sound

Alligator - Pungo River Canal