Another early departure. We have a full day today to get up to and across the Albemarle Sound. Will take us over 10 hours to make the 60 mile trip.
Will be motoring over smooth waters with little wind until we get to the Alligator River, then the wind is forecasted to pick up and shift to the east which should be good for sailing.
Motoring through the Alligator River Canal. It's a 3hr passage through the 20 mile long canal between the Pungo River near Belhaven and the Alligator River near nowhere. Then, another two hours motoring up through the Alligator River.
Passing through the Alligator River swing bridge. We thought it was going to be a hassle as there were two boats just far enough ahead of us that we couldn't make it through the same opening so we would have to wait for traffic to clear before we could get an opening. But it turned out there was a problem opening the bridge so they had to wait, which gave us time to catch up. The bridge operator kept the bridge open for us to pass through with only a slight delay. Good karma.
I know, it looks like great crossing conditions but, looks are deceiving. We motored 2hrs up the Alligator River in no wind. By the time we got to the Sound, the wind was blowing 15-20kts from the southeast just abaft our beam. Great wind direction but the waves quickly built to 3ft or more and always steep faces in the Albemarle since it is only 20ft deep.
We held on and sailed across. Fortunately conditions did not get any worse and actually improved as we reached the other side of the Sound. Now it's a couple hours up to our anchoring spot.
After a long day we have the anchor down and are tucked in with the wind forecasted to shift to behind the shore. Should be protected for the night.
We are still having to use our secondary anchor as the windlass is inop, so we will set the anchor alarm for the night in case we drag. Good news is we have over a mile to drag downwind before we encounter any shallow water.
