Through the wilds of NC and across Albemarle Sound to Coinjock, NC -- June 27

We had a lovely run today through various wilderness areas that cover the peninsula between the Pamlico and Albermarle Rivers. The Intracoastal runs in a 21-mile canal connecting the Pungo and Alligator Rivers with much of the way going through state or federal wildlife refuges and nature preserves. There was very little boat traffic and few signs of civilization for many miles. There are just two bridges in this stretch, both of which are high level. It's hard to convey this landscape with cellphone photos, but here's our attempt.




It started to rain as we left  the canal and entered the Alligator River so we left the flybridge and rode in the cabin the rest of the day. The rain brought welcome relief from the heat and humidity. The ride out the Alligator River and then across Albemarle Sound was very choppy, just like we experienced two years ago. They are both very shallow and with a northeast wind the waves build and funnel. 

The marina at Coinjock was very pleasant and they had a good restaurant on site. We sat at the bar with the locals and watched the US/Panama soccer match. We especially enjoyed the redneck eggrolls, which were recommended. Shredded BBQ pork and collard greens fried in typical eggroll batter and served with a traditional Asian-style dipping sauce. Yummy. 

The 80-foot yacht tied up behind us at the marina was called Algorithms. We looked it up and found that it was owned by Jim Simons, who was a PhD mathematician that started a very successful hedge fund (Renaissance Technologies) that used "mathematical models and algorithms to make investment gains from market inefficiencies" (quoting Wikipedia). He died last month and we guessed that a crew is taking his boat north from Florida. Maybe for a family member -- or a new owner. (If you zoom in on the flybridge you'll see it has relief of a fighting bull and bear. That's what made us want to look up this boat.)


As we were getting ready for bed we heard a loud boat noise and when we left the cabin to investigate saw this tug and barge going by. There is some commercial traffic on the Intracoastal, but we'd never seen it before at night.


We covered 86 miles in 6 hours today, which is a pretty good clip. We are just 50 miles from the end of the Intracoastal in Norfolk.


Comments

  1. AshleyJuly 12, 2024 at 5:22 PM

    Oooh nighttime boating action pic! Exciting! That must have been a surprise for you both, I’m sure you’re used to quiet nights on board.

    ReplyDelete

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