Friday, August 20, 2010 – Elizabeth City, NC

It rained some during the night – not a very hard rain but it was enough to have to close and latch the hatches. Our fans helped to keep us cool, but it was still a bit stuffy which made it difficult to sleep.

The morning sky was partly cloudy and the temperature was 78°F. We got an early start and pulled up the anchor at 6:15 am. It was our hope to make it to Elizabeth City by the end of the day which was 75 statute miles from our anchorage in the Pungo River. We entered the Alligator River / Pango River Canal which is a 21.3 mile land cut through cypress swamps, cattle grazing lands and dense forest. It was very scenic and very quiet – we did not see another boat through the entire length of the canal. Shortly after a stunning sunrise, Gale noticed a large black bear down by the water’s edge getting a drink. He stared at us for awhile (hopefully, you can make him out in the photograph) and then went back into the trees. We also saw white tail deer, wild turkeys and a pileated woodpecker. What we did not see were any alligators but we learned that they were around and plentiful. It was just last night when we had been lamenting that we missed seeing the wildlife. We thought it was because the countryside we had been traveling through lately was mainly swampy and there was little fresh water available. The area we were in was part of a national wildlife / game preserve.








At about 2 pm, we stopped for diesel fuel and water at the Alligator River Marina. There were not a lot of choices for fuel around these parts so we felt we better stop while we had the opportunity. It was an interesting marina with a gas station / convenience store accessible by road and a fuel dock accessible by water. The convenience store had a sandwich grill, the marina had several slips, water, electricity, nice shower and laundry facilities and the owners had two or three family homes on the property. It was a nice set up right at the foot of the Alligator River bridge. It was not a busy time of year for them, though; there was only one boat in the marina.

We continued on our way and with a favorable wind made it to Elizabeth City’s waterfront before 7 pm. We tied up to the wall rather than trying to maneuver into one of the slips and visited with a few folks as they walked by. One couple and their two kids stopped to visit and then recommended that we try dinner at the Cypress Creek Grill across the street. Once we were settled in, we walked over to the restaurant and shared a very nice meal.