Day 183, Year 8: Windbird’s Trek to Cape Cod, Day 6
Date: Sunday, May 5, 2013
Weather: Overcast and Rainy, Winds NE 12-25, Temp in the 60’s F
Latitude: 35 56.404 N
Longitude: 075 55.930 W
Location: Intracoastal Waterway, Anchored Near Mile 80, Alligator River, NC
Captain’s Log for Sunday, May 5:
“Things looked good this morning for crossing the Albemarle tomorrow, so we took off for the anchorage we used on the trip down near the headwaters of the Alligator River. It drizzled on and off all morning – not the most pleasant trip. However, Auto did much of the steering which was great. Then we heard that the Alligator Swing Bridge was now opening! Hurray! Lee spent some time on Active Captain and came up with the suggestion that we go on through the bridge today while it was opening. Winds might be higher tomorrow possibly causing it to close again. Active Captain had a few suggested anchorages on the north side of the bridge, before entering the Albemarle Sound. One looked really promising, so we went for it. It was a long slog up the Alligator River in rain most of the time. At a little after 6:00 pm about five miles off the Intracoastal on the east side of the mouth of the river. After we anchored, Lee fixed a delicious spaghetti dinner (spaghetti sauce courtesy of Judy’s advance cooking). In summary, this was a day you do to make a delivery, not one you undertake for a pleasant cruise. And unfortunately it looks like we might have rain for the next three of four days. But with all that, I think the crew is enjoying the trip, the challenges, and the learning opportunities. And I am glad Lee and Lynda are along, sharing much of the work and just being good company.”
I just got off the phone with Mark and he says they will have a short day tomorrow taking them across the Albemarle Sound and on to the marina at Coinjock. The ‘marina’ is just a sea wall along the Intracoastal where you can tie up, get fuel, do laundry, buy a few necessities in the marina store, and eat at the little restaurant if you like. Town is about three to five miles away, so the only amenities are at the marina itself. Hopefully the winds are going to switch tomorrow to start coming from the southeast. That will make life much easier. Seven days of fighting wind on the nose is just no fun.
Heather and I are trying to keep our heads above water here. Between her work, three kids, laundry, and cooking, there’s not much time for anything else. But we are making a little progress at doing some spring cleaning. Today I spent the morning playing with Sam and Jonah. After lunch we all made a trip to Walmart so Sam could buy something with the money he got from the Tooth Fairy. He spent only a dollar of his money and donated the rest to the purchase of new Lacrosse stick. His stick ‘disappeared’ a couple of weeks ago, and both he and Jonah really enjoy ‘playing’ Lacrosse. Late this afternoon I took them to the school playground so they could practice. Ollie wasn’t feeling up to par today and wanted to be with momma constantly. But he did feel good to put on his evening ‘Ollie Show.’ And he also loves to play with the Lacrosse stick—and he looks like he knows what he is doing! Sam is still sick as well and has been taking a two hour nap every afternoon which is not normal for him. Heather thinks she’ll keep him home from school tomorrow in hopes that another day of rest might set him on the road to recovery. She goes to work for a couple of hours tomorrow morning, so we’ll see if I survive the morning with all three kids!
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| 130505 Day 183 Cape Cod, USA–Ollie the Lacrosse Player |
