Hurricane Impacts

Hurricane Impacts

Back a few weeks we were trying to guess which way to hide from Hurricane Matthew and gauge how he would impact our plans to join the Kadey Krogen Rendezvous in Solomons, MD.  The storm fortunately decided to head out to sea before reaching the Chesapeake Bay, but not before churning up most of the ICW from Florida to Virginia.

The Rendezvous was spared and offered days and days of cruiser fun – an extended event since due to Matthew none of us could leave.  The photos show our interwoven docking system which kept all on the dock until it was safe for anyone to cast off lines.  We did enjoy the many joint meals, meetings and sharing sessions.  A big shout out to our leaders on Alizann and Dock Master extraordinaire Randy, who pulled off the event in spite of Matthew.

Leaving the pack of fellow cruisers was a gradual process because most of us were heading south along the same routes.  We did not hurry since most of the waterways were flooded.  It provided a good excuse to stop in several places that we have not managed to visit on previous trips.  Our first stop was in Edenton NC – where the town generously provides two days of free dockage.  With the high water, we had no trouble floating into their docks and enjoying this historic town.  It was a nice treat to spend our time there with The Good Life.

In addition to walking the town, we took the trolley tour

Our next stop was Manteo on Roanoke Island where we followed The Good Life and met Alizann.  This island is the site of the Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony.  We heard the story of this mystery from the ranger at site of Fort Raleigh.  The fate of the colonist is still unclear although recent discoveries and new DNA methods may eventually shed light on what happened to them more than 400 years ago.

From Manteo we rented a car to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hills – the National Park honoring man’s first machine powered airplane flights.  We wandered the grounds and marveled at the old photos showing the once remote windy location that contributed to this milestone in aviation history. Today the scene has been stabilized with trees and grass as well as embellished with monuments to show the distances covered in those first flights.  On one of the famous Kill Devil Hills is a monument to the events that took place in early 1900s.  Sadly, the museum is about to be closed for extensive renovations so the Wright glider and plane had been temporarily removed.  Just another excuse to revisit this park in the future!

On Roanoke Island we also found time to stop at the North Carolina Aquarium and were lucky to be there for the shark feeding session.  The audience was almost as entertaining as the sharks.

From Manteo we crossed the Pamlico Sound on a perfect day to spend the weekend on Ocracoke Island.  The National Park docks offer special rates to holders of the Senior Gold Pass and the secure mooring was welcome for the weather that blew across the outer banks. Enjoying these remote islands in the less crowded shoulder season is one of the benefits of slowly working our way south. In the next week we hope to be heading to our winter dock in Jacksonville….. 

Leaving Manteo on a PERFECT MORNING

Coast Guard repairing aids to navigation