Has it really been that long...

Salt Ponds, VA

So, have you ever had one of those weeks...or two, when you feel like not much has been going on, but then when you really think about it you realize that's not the case, you were just too lazy to make a blog post? Well, that's how its been around here. When we last checked in we were almost getting ready to enter the Dismal Swamp. We spent our last night on the Chesapeake in Salt Ponds, VA. it was a nice little anchorage, and I mean little. There were two marinas there, but only room for 1 or 2 boats to anchor. We spent the afternoon exploring and fishing and headed to the marina restaurant for dinner. Now, we don't make a habit of going ashore for dinner, but this was the first restaurant we came to since my birthday, so we splurged! The next day we were out early and heading for Norfolk, VA, past the Naval Base and down the Elizabeth River. Finally to the Dismal Swamp.

Deep Creek Lock

Don't let the name fool ya, it was a pretty cool place. Not too far in we entered our first lock. Robert the lockmaster was extremely knowledgeable and not only did he give us a quick history of the canal and tips on surviving our first cruise, he also played us an entire song on his conch shell. Then he proceeded to drive 1/2 mile down the road and open the bridge for us. Right after the bridge is where we spent our first 2 nights in the swamp. Now, when we had exited the lock we noticed another Gemini tied up to a dock. We don't see many of these boats in Jersey, so when we do see one it stands out. Not long after we tied up to the wall beyond the bridge we saw a couple (obviously cruisers because of their backpacks and smiles) walking towards us. We knew they must be on the other Gem.  It turns out their boat is not only the same year, but we are only 8 hull #'s apart! Tim and Jill, on Links, are officially our first cruiser friends, and immediately proved themselves invaluable. They have had their boat for 12 years, so Bud didn't waste any time picking Tim's brain about every little thing he ever wondered about SeaQuest.

The Beautiful Dismal Swamp

Even though it was beautiful where we were, there was some weather coming in, so we took our time down the swamp. We spent 2 nights at the North Carolina Welcome Center, which was a great place. There was fresh water, restrooms, hiking and biking trails and, oh yeah, "rafting" which was one of the strangest things we've seen so far. There is only room for about 4 boats along the dock, so after it is filled up boats just pull up alongside, throw bumpers out and tie onto your boat. Not just one boat, 3 or 4! Everybody proceeds to hop from boat to boat until they make it to shore. Strange, but a great way to meet people.

Rafting

From there we moved down the swamp about 4 miles (closer to provisions) and sat out the weather for another 3 days. When we finally decided to leave, Mother Nature decided to rain on us...all...day...long. But, we made it to Elizabeth City and met up with our friends. Elizabeth City was great for one reason...LAUNDRY! Of course it was still raining, but that's what Hefty bags are for.

Paula & Noble of Abigail, us, Jill & Tim of Links

The next day we departed with our buddy boat Links and had a great sailing day (despite the yucky weather) to the Alligator River. After that we headed through the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal. Not a beautiful day, but at least it wasn't raining. Things were going along just fine until our gauges started jumping around and going off. Bud went below to check the batteries, so I was at the helm. Of course that's when the engine decided to crap out! Dead in the water. Luckily we were in a wide enough canal that boats could easily get around us. We threw out 2 anchors, and Links came back to help. Within a few minutes we were up and running again and to make a long story short, when we arrived in Belhaven a few hours later things were worked on, checked out, ordered, bought and changed. We ended up sitting out some more weather in Belhaven, and stayed 4 days. Links left after 3 (and we are still trying to catch up!).


Links

SeaQuest

 Bye Bye Belhaven! Although it was nice having a free dock and being close to any store we would need, it was time to move on. We traveled 50 miles along the Intracoastal and ended up in Cedar Creek. We came an extra 10 miles because I read in the guide book that you could sometimes get shrimp or crabs at the commercial dock there. By the time we anchored and made the dinghy ride to the dock, they were closed. Go figure. It was almost dinner time so I started boiling water for pasta. Bud took the ding out to try a little fishing. I guess he was craving some fresh seafood as much as I was. I was in the galley trying to figure out how I was gonna make frozen meatballs go with linguine and white clam sauce, when I heard Bud come back to the boat. Low and behold he had a fish! He was only gone 10 minutes, I think that was some sort of record! We're still not quite sure what it was, but it was delicious. Much better than meatballs with clam sauce.

Sea trout??

 We had looked at our Skipper Bob's cruising guide and knew that the following day would be a short 23 mile trip. Before we left in the morning we took another ride over to the shrimp dock. We literally bought the shrimp right off the boat, and headed on our way. The sun actually came out and we had a beautiful day out on the water. We anchored around 1:30, and by 2:30 we were enjoying lunch/dinner - spicy shrimp taco salad! Let me tell you, I'm not a fan of beheading the little critters, but I got over it. Tomorrow, moving on down the line.  I'll try to post more frequently!
~ Jen & Bud