We only have 9 miles to go today to the little town of Manteo on Shallowbag Bay but even armed with the information on the new charts, it’s a little scary.
We motor off at around 8 am needing to arrive in the shallowest parts of the channel at high tide just in case. The tides only make around a foot of difference to the depth but that could be all the difference we need. The guide itself shows just 4 foot of water in the channel but talks about a ferry which draws 8 foot regularly going in and out. With such conflicting information it can be really difficult to make an informed decision and it’s just as well that Mike found the Corp of Engineers stuff on the internet as they have failed to answer either of my two e-mails.
Maggie and Bob go ahead of us. They draw a foot less than us and keep us informed of the depths as we go. We follow very closely in their footprints around the island and then into the channel on the east coast of the island. We slow right down. If we are going to run aground we want to do it slowly and gently!
Bob manages to raise someone of the VHF who gives precise information about entering Shallowbag Bay. “Go right at channel marker 30a as if you want to run into it then turn right and stay on the left of the channel as there’s only 2 foot of water on the right”. Although the normal practise in a narrow, shallow channel is to go straight down the middle we bend to local knowledge and follow his advice. We have no problem and turn into the wonderful Shallowbag Bay Marina.
This marina, taken over by new management last November has to be the friendliest we have visited so far and with the facilities it has to offer, one of the best value. It offers fuel, water, electricity, showers, toilets, swimming pool, jacuzzi, on-site restaurant and bar and a clubhouse for the condo residents that visiting yachts can use. The clubhouse has a full fitness suite, pool table and a lounge with TV and book lending library. From the moment we arrive, Rita, the owner, is there to help with a winning smile and friendly manner.
We also meet Archie, or Capt’n Parkie as he is usually known, a colourful character from Manchester who lives on the boat docked just behind us, a lovely fellow who’s ready with stories of the open ocean, his adventures and the wives he parted company with along the way!
While Bob sets to cleaning Silver Moon and Maggie does her computer stuff, Mike and I decide to go and explore and find the lay of the land. We walk into town, Manteo, along the main road then along the coastal boardwalk. It is so pretty. Marsh land creeps down to the sea where we pass and we can hear ducks quacking in the long grasses. Everyone we pass says hello. This is North Carolina hospitality and I like it.
In town we visit a shell shop that has the most exquisite specimens (I mean to go back but get sidetracked) and witness a wedding that is taking place on the dock. A weather tower shows the sea level that Hurricane Irene caused to rise – 11 feet according to the marker.
On the way back we check out the restaurants. We are not looking for fine dining here just some good value Southern fare. However, near the marina we find a shop selling nothing but pumpkins and on the opposite side of the road are some bulls. Yes, bullocks. Not tethered. In a field alongside a main road with nothing but a 2-foot high electric fence. I ask you! If that bull ran into it, I'm sure it would feel like a little bee sting!
As for the pumpkin stall, I have been really surprised at just how all consuming the Halloween thing is. Preparations seem to have been going on for well over a month already. Sales of plastic spiders, skulls, costumes, masks, fake webs and all the rest of the paraphernalia is abundant. Houses are decorated outside seemingly far more than they are at Christmas. Seems weird to me.
Walking past Silver Moon which is now gleaming like a very shiny new pin, Bob having spent all afternoon cleaning it, we arrange to meet at Stripers, the on-site restaurant, for dinner, not to be confused with a strip club which is what I thought it was when I first saw the name!
Halloween decorations are going up in the bar when we arrive, and instead of going up to the restaurant on the first floor, we hug the bar on the ground. The food portions are enormous – and good. Both Mike and Bob realise their eyes are bigger than their bellies when they see the size of their seafood platters. I settle for seared tuna topped with lump crab and wasabi alioli. Yummy. Maggie is a good girl and goes for tuna carpaccio and salad until she sees how huge that is too.
We heave our bellies back to our boats. We have decided to stay another day to get some jobs done, do a bit more sightseeing and see if we can get any more information on that bridge. The weather is predicted to be stormy during the night and we are told that the strong northerly winds will literally shift a bit of water out of the bay giving us a little more room underneath it. I hope so.
Position: 35 deg 54 min N, 75 deg 39 min W
Distance so far: 2923 miles
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