Post #20: Alligator River-Pungo River Canal

Thursday, October 22, 2020

It worked!! Closing all the hatches and lowering and fastening the side and aft “curtains” made of vinyl and canvas kept all those zillions of bugs away last night. Huzzah! 

We had read about the North Carolina “midges” while planning this trip. Last August I replaced all the screens on the boat with a smaller gauge mesh material designed to keep out no-see-um type critters and anything larger. Since our boat’s first owners kept her in the Chesapeake Bay area, they had purchased an invaluable contraption that covers the companionway (the entry to below decks) which protects us from bugs yet still allows for air movement. And when the canvas cover is rolled over the screen, it provides extra protection from rain and the beating sun.  We are very fortunate that both of the previous owners saved this screen/storm “door” for us to use, too.

I realized this morning that I forgot to mention a very important milestone of the trip in my post yesterday.  We passed  ICW Mile Marker 100 in the Alligator River! I thought of when our two kids reached Day 100  back in kindergarten.  The class celebrated with cupcakes, balloons and streamers.  I thought we should have done the same. Instead I just took this photo:

The terrain today was similar to yesterday with a 17-mile passage down the AlligatorRiver—Pungo River Canal which crosses through the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. When the Canal was finished in 1928 it was the last remaining link to complete the 1090-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk to Miami.

It was flat, flat land with water everywhere. Yet according to some of the cruising guides we consult, sections of this area burned a few years ago.  We could see where the new growth had already begun to take hold.  But this fragile balance will easily be decimated by rising sea levels as it is part of the Pamlico Sound ecosystem.

We saw fifteen (!) turkey vultures soaring and gliding the thermals in the sky this morning.  They are larger than any other raptors except eagles and condors and have wingspans of 6 feet and bright red heads, making them easily identifiable.

At the end of the canal we passed under (just barely) the infamous Wilkerson Bridge.  Although the Army Corps of Engineers regulations require a fixed vertical clearance of 65 feet at mean high water for any bridge over the ICW, somehow the Wilkerson slipped by with only 64’ clearance. Onward’s fixed mast height is 61.5’ plus a 30” bendable antenna.  So when approaching a bridge, we proceed with caution and look for the “tide boards” which denote the actual clearance as measured from the water surface:

We turned in to Dowry Creek Marina for the afternoon and evening as we wanted to top off the fuel tanks, wash clothes and clean up the boat.  The staff at this family-owned establishment couldn’t have been more welcoming, courteous and accommodating.  We enjoyed their pool, hot showers, and free washing machines immensely!