4/20/15: Knowing the Albemarle can be a nasty stretch of water, and having no desire to be uncomfortable, we were reluctant to venture out today. Our good buddy Arne is becoming our own Chris Parker and analyzed the GRIB data for the locations and times we would cross. He said it would be OK, and he was spot on.

Through the night, we had reason to doubt because there we heavy rains and an occasional squall that banged the boat on the dock. Lynn was soaked making a head run in the middle of the night. But at about 0800, just as Arne had predicted the winds died down and the seas became less lumpy. We did have some waves hitting the aft port quarter. They picked the stern up and carried it to starboard, so steering was a constant struggle. I really missed the keels and large rudders of our sailing cat. She was much more bidirectionally stable. Throw in that she had an autohelm system and she had some real advantages.

Steering would probably have been easier, if I had kicked it up, but after recent problems, we didn't want to risk being dead in the water. At least not in the sloppy waves and far from towing and/or mechanic.

Not long after we were across and into the North River the wind shifted and picked up, but we were in relatively sheltered waters and it was not problem.

The current was running at about a knot in Coinjock, so instead of coming in starboard side to, we spun around into the current to dock. It is easier to dock into the current but the down side is that our fuel fill cap and head pump out are on the starboard side, away from the dock. With a little contortion, I can reach the fuel but the head pump out is located about as inconveniently as the engineers could design. The hose was barely long enough to reach but with Lynn coming aft and me moving forward along the gunwale with the hose we were able to do it. Yuck.

A point about pump outs: we have a small tank, only 12 gallons. We need to pump often. We trek up the dock at marinas using the on shore facilities when ever possible to limit head input but that only works at the dock. If we are underway or at anchor, that option doesn't exist. The first two marinas on this trip, Dowry Creek and Alligator River don't have functioning pump outs. For shame. It makes us really appreciate Northwest Creek, if their's goes down, it is fixed promptly and at least once a week, they will come to your boat to pump if you request. Coinjock charged me $5.00 for pumping at their fuel dock. NWC is free. They do charge for coming to the boat but hey, they go the extra mile.