Coinjock to Alligator River Marina

We woke in the morning to discover we had a new neighbor who came in behind us during the night. It was the river cruise ship, Independence. We were familiar with her as she frequented several of the ports we stayed at while heading north last spring. She was heading south and her passengers were scheduled for a day trip on a charter bus which was waiting in the Coinjock Marina parking lot.

We cast off at 0945 on a sunny day on which the temperature reached 67 degrees. The wind was also in our favor and we were able to motor-sail with a close hauled genoa across the Albemarle Sound. Waves on the Sound were averaging 2 feet in height and abaft abeam.We averaged almost 7 knots during the 13 miles crossing. We arrived at the Alligator River Marina at 1400 which was more than an hour earlier than our anticipated arrival time. We were quickly refueled and tied to our place on the marina's facing dock.

We made the most of our time by taking showers and doing laundry. The highlight of our stay was feasting on Miss Wanda's renown fried chicken. The skin was fried crisp and not too greasy. The meat was moist and tender. Carla loved the fried ocra. The cole slaw was also superb. We ordered extra chicken and slaw to go so we'd have some for dinner tomorrow. For dessert, we had butter pecan and praline ice cream. It was a wonderful treat. We'll stop again on our way north next spring.