111/11/11, Veterans Day, a gigantic thank you to all of our military! Today ushers in clear, vibrant, blue skies reflecting off the choppy Neuse River as we gyrate through waves whipped by a frosty 15 kn wind that the cold front ushered in. The last two days have been gloriously warm enough for sunbathing, varnish touch-ups and boat washing; yesterday short sleeves, today two layers and a down vest, jacket and gloves. Magestic shore birds stand with heads retracted onto shoulders in an attempt to defeat the wind and cold. A flock of Forster's Terns, their black patch from eye to ear looking like mascara gone awry, nosily complains with distinctive "keer and zreep" sounds.
late afternoon finds us at Dowry Creek marina with new ornamentation; it's never a proud moment when the gentleman catching your dock lines says, "I see you've been crabbin', " as he laughs while pointing to the scarred, white, crab pot buoy bobbing listlessly along-side the bow. The 15 feet of line attached to the buoy was wedged around the stabilizer shaft and no amount of tugging would free it so Captain Kurt went swimming and cut the line short to the shaft; thankfully the stabilizers still work.
Dowry Creek Marina just on the outskirts of Belhaven did not disappoint; a quaint, quiet, home to a few long-time boat residents who journeyed for years and settled here where they liked the vistas of ever-changing marshland and views of sunrise and sunsets. Again we were welcomed to the pot luck supper that is provided each evening by some of the "resident" cruisers and the marina owner Mary; her retired Marine husband passed away several years ago and she is carrying on their dream of owning/running the marina. The rotisseried pork rib roast with all the trimmings (including homemade yeast rolls) became a birthday celebration for Mary, this being our second time arriving for that celebration. The deliciousness of the meal was secondary to the easy conversation with fellow cruisers who share a multitude of experiences with their travels up and down on the ICW, the Great Loop and Canada.
Dinner was delayed as we waited for the last boat to arrive; a large trawler (60') that was captained by someone who exercised a lapse of judgement, and attempted, in the long narrow Alligator River-Pongo Canal, to pass one of the "American Cruise Line" ships (200,' with a 60' beam). Needless to say it did not end well for the trawler with the appropriate name of "Full Steam." Duh!
One of the resident boaters (the woman who made the delicious rolls) talked about the visit from hurricane Irene that brought 100 mph wind and an 8' storm surge; she and her husband had moved their truck and motor home to "safe" high ground only to have both destroyed when a hurricane-spawned tornado brought a tree down on top of them. They were grateful that their sailboat anchored up the creek rode out the storm safely. The boats were not allowed to stay at the marina due to the forecast storm surge that would likely (and did) cover the dock pilings. Unfortunately a beautiful sailboat was across the creek, marooned on the marsh at an angle that would have been fine if it was plying the sea, heeled in unison with the wind and waves. Mother Nature will reign supreme, good and bad; sublimely beautiful, frighteningly destructive.
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