DAY 5
NEW ENGLAND & THE CANADIAN MARITIMES
Day 5 • From sunrise to sunset, with a spanking in between! Today started nice and calm with some single-handed sailing and a cruise up the canal. We dropped anchor for a few hours in the afternoon while Evan upgraded the fuel system, and we waited out some wind.
The forecast turned favorable for going up the Alligator River, so off we went. As we approached the swing bridge, the winds picked up. Then things got wet and wild! Gusts up to 35 knots and 4-6 ft waves. The Captain, soaked with spray, enlisted help from the Pot Spotter, who frantically scanned the horizon for crab traps while yelling over the sounds of the surf and the slosh. Starboard! Red! Port! Orange! White! Turn! Turn! Forward! Dang, a green! Kill the throttle! We made it to the anchorage just as the sun set. The crew handled the conditions well; the boat did even better.
59.5 NM
Belhaven to an anchorage at the mouth of the Alligator River at the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina
