After a windy night all the Loopers in Alligator Marina had a morning meeting about crossing the Albemarle. Alligator Marina did not have a lot to offer but it was a refuge from the strong wind and waves of the sound. We decided along with Bruce on “We Got This” to attempt the crossing and head up the North Carolina Cut to Coinjock Marina. We headed out into the same wind and chop from the day before. The wind was off the starboard bow giving us a slight roll. We decided to put the hammer down and make the crossing in 2 hours before the waves rose up to three or four feet. After making it halfway across we radioed the group at Alligator Marina that the waves were no more than two feet and the crossing was possible. We watched on Nebo as all the boats made the run north.
Once we entered the North River the winds died down and the water was fairly smooth. We made it to Coinjock Marina, tied up in our layalong slip, washed the boat and got prepped for our 32 ounce prime rib that Coinjock is famous for which we had to call ahead for. Coinjock Marina has a long layalong dock on the east side of the channel and most passing boats respect the no wake zone. The facilities were clean and the ship store was stocked with marine supplies, snacks and beverages. They had two black labs that were soaked from the rain and the river. “Sea No Evil” got a well deserved bath to get all the salt water off her sides.
We had reservations for our prime rib at 6 and were joined by the crew of “We Got This” and two retired Toronto police officers. Maria did help me with the huge prime rib. We retired fairly early “looper midnight” which is about 9pm.
