Sort of a late start as I viewed various wind forecasts for Albemarle Sound. Decided tomorrow wasn’t any better than today, so upped the hook from North River and set out.

When Ferrity reached the middle, winds were a steady 20+ knots with higher gusts from the northeast which put wind and sea on the port quarter. The video doesn’t adequately capture the pitching and rolling. The dog leg into the Alligator River put the seas on the beam – some serious rolling.

And then I spied the bridge. Somehow in my planing I had overlooked the long low bridge. Another sailboat that had slowly gained on me across Albemarle passed by at the entrance and now led the way.  Couldn’t remember if North Carolina bridges monitored VHF channel 13 or 9. Somewhere on this ICW voyage, bridges monitor channel 9. So I hailed the bridge on 13, with the pretext of inquiring about the next opening.

The Alligator River Bridge tender monitors 13 and replied that he opened on request. Would open when we (sailboat leading and Ferrity) were closer. Sure enough, the swing bridge began turning a bit later such that neither of us had to slow down.

With winds still howling, dropped the hook across from Stumpy Creek near entrance to Alligator Pungo River Canal.

As others have mentioned, there is no phone/internet service near the canal. Alas, resorted to reading Red Sky in Mourning by Tami Oldham Ashcraft. This book/experience is the basis for the 2018 movie Adrift.