15 Apr 14

Received a wake-up call at 02:45 from our Canadian friends (thanks, John?!?) to remind us to check out the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, it was pouring with rain and heavy cloud cover obscured any hope of a view. The real alarm went off at 06:45 and we bolted up to check the weather; forecast was S 15-20, so we decided to head over to Manteo. As soon as we got out of the marina, the wind went straight to 35 and pretty much stayed between S 25-35 for the whole trip, with a number of +40 gusts and two that hit 47 knots. Fun, fun, fun! “c’est le bon” stood up very nicely to a medium-rough ride and the crew did, too. The lashings came loose on the kayak, which was stored on the foredeck, and I was sure we were going to lose it, but Terri managed to lasso the rear hand-hold from the starboard saloon hatch and tie it down from inside, so it stayed with us. The last 2 miles into Manteo is a very narrow channel, with very shallow water on both sides. As we turned into this channel, the wind was still blowing S 25-35, which put it about 30 degrees on the starboard bow, with steep, short period waves and heavy rain. Visibility was less than optimal, so it was a white-knuckle drive up the channel; definitely did not want to go aground in those conditions - it would not have ended well. Anyway, it was a wet, wild ride, but we got into Manteo by 11:15 and tied up safely at Manteo Waterfront Marina, with a bit of assistance from the dock-master and 3 other helpers. After a celebratory beer (and a virtual keel-hauling of the Captain by the Admiral for being foolish enough to actually believe the weather forecast), we strolled around town, checking out the maritime museum and a number of art galleries. Naturally, it calmed way down in the afternoon (when it was supposed to get worse), although the forecast for the night and tomorrow is still pretty grim. We will wait here for a few days, I think.

16 Apr 14

The predicted cold front arrived with the subtlety of a freight train at about 21:30. Within a few minutes, the wind went from S 25 to N 30-40, by midnight we were having numerous long gusts to greater than 50 kn and saw a couple of gusts to 62 kn; and this was in the marina!! We were snug at the dock but the dock lines and fenders were groaning and the wind was screaming in the rigging. At dawn, it was 40 degrees outside with the wind still above 40 kn. We hid out inside the boat all morning. By early afternoon, the wind was down to N 30, so we went for a walk around town, including Roanoke Festival Park. We also stopped at Ace Hardware and found a bunch of line (cheap), which we brought back to the boat with the intention of weaving more floor mats.

17 Apr 14

The winds are down only 25 knots or so, so we rented a car and went sight-seeing. First, we went to the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk; excellent museum and very entertaining. After lunch, we drove down to Cape Hatteras to see the “tallest lighthouse in the world; and it is also the tallest lighthouse in the USA” (I’m just quoting the film here). Unfortunately, it was closed to climbing, but we still got to have a look round and see the presentation on the effort to relocate the lighthouse back from the edge of the water; in 1999, to prevent (or delay) it from being overwhelmed by the sea, the lighthouse was moved (on Hillman rollers) 2900 ft back from the edge to a more protected location.

18 Apr 14

Still cold (44 deg. F) and windy (NE 25) this morning. We still have the car, so we drove up to Ft. Raleigh National Historic site to check out the Lost Colony. We did not find it, nor has anyone else figured out the disappearance in the last 400 years. Later, we had lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf in Wanchese. Then off to Harris Teeter for some needed groceries. Dinner on board the rest of the last batch of soup.

19 Apr 14

Still cold and windy, but we turned the car back in anyway, having seen all the sights within reach in which we were interested. We spent the afternoon hiding from the elements and doing arts and crafts: Terri knitted and I finished a few woven rugs and stair mats and did some decorative coach-whipping on the steering wheel. When I put the wheel back on the post, I noticed that the rudder was stuck in the mud. Turning on the instruments confirmed that we have 0 (i.e., zero) water under the keel; apparently, the sustained northerly winds have blown the water in Pamlico Sound down to the south end of the sound, or at least somewhere else. We celebrated an early Easter with dinner at the 1587 Restaurant, literally, 50 ft from our berth; excellent meal in very convivial venue.

20 Apr 14

Slept in and awoke to (wait for it) yet another cold, windy, rainy day;  five consecutive days with N or NE winds over 25 knots. The town of Manteo is pretty much shut down for Easter Sunday, so we cowered in the warmth of the boat, read and watched movies and listened to the wind howling in the rigging; we turned on the anemometer and observed a couple of 60+ knot gusts. We are still aground at the berth. Hopefully, the water will return when the wind slows down or changes direction, if it ever does. Tuesday’s forecast calls for W and S 10-15 and we are hoping to get on our way again.  

21 Apr 14

The wind is still blowing N 15-20, but at least it is clear and dry today. Forecast for tomorrow is still hopeful, so we are getting ready to go, although we are still stuck on the bottom at present. Called the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center and was advised that water levels in the Feeder Ditch (and therefore the canal) are pretty high due to lots of rain over the winter, so we should have no problems getting through, although snags and other obstructions are always a possibility. Terri did laundry and I walked up to the Post Office to mail some stuff and stopped in at Ace to load up on more nylon rope, for a few more decorative touches; coach-whipped the vertical hand-hold (post) by the nav station and perfected the art of tying star knots. Looking very “yar” on board now. The wind died late in the afternoon, so tomorrow is looking good. When we went to bed, it was so quiet (i.e., without the wind howling or screaming in the rigging), that I had a hard time getting to sleep and then kept waking up every 2 hours or so wondering why it was so quiet. Amazing what you get used to.