The Albemarle Loop

 TRAVEL DAY 37 - Alligator River to Columbia

April 25, 2023

7.0 Hours/57.6 Miles

    There are a few other "Loops" inside the Loop. One is the Albemarle Loop. It is a series of 10 stops around Albemarle Sound. Many that offer free docking. We don't intend to visit all 10 cities but will try to do a couple on our way to The Great Dismal Swamp and our last few stops in North Carolina before transiting to Virginia.

Scuppernong River Cypress

    We knew the winds would pick up later in the day and the Albemarle Sound can be rough so we pulled anchor at a little before 7 am and motored into the larger portion of the Alligator River. It was a lot calmer today and we had high hopes for an easy transit west on the Albemarle Sound.  

Alligator River Swing Bridge

    As soon as we went thru the Alligator swing bridge is was clear that it was going to be a little "sporty". The wind was blowing in from the NE and the waves were hitting us on the starboard bow. We had to continue farther north than we wanted, to keep the waves off our beam and then turn west. Once we made our westward turn, we were surfing the waves and the ride was much smoother.  It wasn't too bad until later west when we made our turn to the Scuppernong River and we were getting slapped in the beam. Again I had to tack SW as far as I could, then turn back into the waves to make the river entrance. Once in the river, it was a beautiful ride but we were a tad beat up.

The Albemarle "calm before the waves"

    The Scuppernong River is a beautiful waterway lined with Cypress and Pine trees. The town of Columbia is as far as you can basically travel on the river unless you have a small boat.  We pulled into the Municipal free dock, not my best docking job but we did it. The only cost was $3 for electric and we were the only boat there. I hosed the salt off the Troll with the free fresh water.

Columbia, NC

    There really isn't a whole lot to the downtown, it is cute but it is very small. I'm sure there is more to the city farther in. We ate an early diner at the Mexican restaurant and shopped at the antique store. That's it, we saw the historic downtown, back to the boat. Beth did however get her first real duck decoy, a Bufflehead, made perhaps in the 50's.

Beth's Bufflehead Decoy

Alligator River to Columbia

TRAVEL DAY 38 - Columbia to Albemarle Plantation

April 26, 2023

2.3 Hours/17.7 Miles

    Our plan was to cross the sound and travel further in and up to Edenton. As we exited the Scuppernong River we were fooled by the calm seas. As soon as we got our nose out into the Albemarle Sound the waves and wind picked up and it was yesterday's beating all over again. Using our "Semper Gumby" philosophy we diverted to our later landing spot of Albemarle Plantation. Either way we needed to cross the sound. We had to tack first east into the waves, then west with the waves, anything broadside is tough and potentially dangerous as it tosses the boat sideways and throws everything over and onto the deck.

Scuppernong River

    Once we got to the outer light the waves settled some but I had been aiming for the wrong point in and the water got extremely shallow. A quick turn back out and west got us to the entrance channel of the marina. The channel is very narrow but well marked. Passing the last red day marker and the spit of land to the east gave us very calm water. 

Albemarle Plantation Marina

    We called the marina and the dockmaster gave us instructions to get in and where our slip was located. There is virtually no current or tide here and unless there is wind, it is an easy docking maneuver. We didn't have a whole lot of breeze and we made a smooth stern in port side tie. Being on the outer docks is a little "rolly" but nothing compared to what we put up with for the last 2 days. I again straightened up the mayhem on the flybridge and hosed the salt off the boat.

Scooters ready!

    Albemarle Plantation is a nice residential development in Hertford, NC and in the middle of nowhere. It offers cruisers free docking for up to 5 days. Not only is the slip free, but so is the electric, the ice and the laundry! We also had access to the pool and hot tub. We took advantage of the low cost to wait out a front and the east wind and rain which holed us up here until the wind changed and blew from the southwest. 

Grocery Run

Everything is free here...except the food & fuel

    We enjoyed hanging out here but after 3 days we had seen pretty much all that there was to see. Our last day it rained all day essentially keeping us in the boat. 

    

Columbia "zig-zag" tack to Albemarle Plantation

TRAVEL DAY 39 - Albemarle Plantation to Elizabeth City

April 29, 2023

5.1 Hours/39.2 Miles

    We waited out the wind and today was our chance to make a break for it and not get our butts handed to us on the Albemarle Sound for a third time. The Albemarle Sound, with virtually no tide is almost 100% subject to the wind, and with the wind shifting from the west, we expected a smooth ride. We headed to the fuel dock at 8 am for diesel and a much needed pump out. We got the pump out but the dockhand couldn't get the fuel to dispense. We still had half a tank so we shoved off for Elizabeth City, the last stop on the Albemarle Loop and the gateway to the Great Dismal Swamp.

No waves on the Albemarle Sound

    Once out of the Perquimans River and out in the sound, we knew we had made a good decision. What a difference, although overcast, it was calm with very little wave action and we had an easy ride to the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City.  We ran the gauntlet of crab traps or "crab pots" as they are called in this part of the country. I dodged a couple hundred easily, then 1/2 mile from our destination and only 1 crab pot set in the area, I snagged one. I watched the float begin to go under water and follow the boat. I quickly took the boat out of gear and idled for a second. The bullet shaped float came back to the surface and remained stationary as I eased the Troll into gear and moved forward. Luckily the keel grabbed it but not the prop.

Dirigible Hanger

    We could see our next intended free municipal dock in sight as Beth got the lines ready. There were no other boats there and it was most likely because the docks were in rough shape and the finger piers were very short, making it hard to get from the boat to shore. We monkeyed around with the lines for a few minutes until we got the best tie up we thought we could, with just enough pier to the boat to allow a careful step down.

Elizabeth City Municipal Docks

    With a much warmer day and some sunshine, we set out to explore Elizabeth City. No exploration is complete without a stop at a brewery and Elizabeth City had 2 near the waterfront.  Ghost Harbor Brewing and  Seven Sounds Brewing, both were great. Ghost Harbor had a "Pay it Forward" free beer if you were a VA Tech student and Beth jumped on that deal. When we cashed out, she did a "Pay it Forward" for anyone on the Loop! After a couple beers we ate dinner at Hoppin' Johns, another great stop. 

Beth with her "Pay it Forward" Cider

Albemarle Plantation to Elizabeth City

TRAVEL DAY 40 - Elizabeth City to Lambs Seafood & Marina

April 30, 2023

.7 Hours/3.7 Miles

Captain Courageous Yelling Orders to the "Swabs"

        

    We weren't crazy about the slip location and although it was close to a lot of things to do, it was straight in line with the river and even a slight wind made it rocky, couple that with poor condition docks and frankly, we hated it.  The next morning after a good breakfast in town, we moved the boat up the Pasquotank River to Lamb's Seafood & Marina. It was in a small creek and more protected.

Elizabeth City Draw Bridge

    We motored up the river, through the railroad bridge, then eased up the small creek and were able to get the last spot on the wall. For $35 including electric it was a heck of a deal.  We decided to fuel up as this was the last fuel at least until Norfolk and was reasonably priced.  The Owner and dock hand were super guys and we enjoyed chatting with them after we got tied up.

Pasquotank River Railroad Bridge

Wet Dock at Lambs Seafood & Marina

    We were able to borrow the loaner truck to head back into town to grab a few items we needed.  There were now a total of 4 Loopers here and we all agreed to meet for docktales at 3. Another fun "docktales" with some folks we had a chance to connect with again and others that were new to us.

Docktales

Elizabeth City to Lambs Seafood & Marina