Days Events:

Wx - warm 73/92, humid [what's new!], slight overcast, winds W 5-10+. Has been hazy all day - the DNR/wx channel has an Air Quality Alert/advisory out related to the Saharan Desert Plume/Air Layer now here which is affecting breathing, until Monday.

Travel - left River Forest at 07:50 with winds 8 -10 pushing us off the dock, and had to power around the 'T' to the channel, but no problems really. Followed a 48' Jefferson aft cabin ,who had been docked beside us there, all the way to the swing bridge by the Alligator R. Marina at mm 84 - so a distance of 52 miles in 5.8h, averaging about 9mph. No water traffic essentially, little for shoreline residences/commercial - quiet all the way; the Jefferson reported seeing a bear as we were exiting the Alligator/Pungo canal, but we were 1.5 miles behind him and he had obviously disappeared into the swamp/scrub. The brackish water remains 'root beer' tinted - see photo - from the cypress tannins. The last 15 miles were in more open waters, 2-5 miles across, in the Alligator River, until we reached the swing bridge and immediately turned to port for 2 miles to get to the marina. No problems docking into the wind on a face dock.

Marina - it is a multi-function facility, with a gas station/convenience store, grill, and marina with fuel/pumpout and a fake lighthouse! Nothing else nearby. There is a sign, which they posted on Friday, requiring everyone to wear a mask inside the store/marina/station - staff, customers, included. Solid docks, mostly a long, long face dock for transients like us. Loopers will often stop here waiting for a good weather window to cross the Albermarle Sound.

There is little rocking of the boat so far here compared to most of the other marinas we have stayed at on this coast; likely related to only a 0.5 ft tide, so little tidal current to constantly push the boat around. This may help our fluctuating vertigo - one can always hope we will adapt to it.

Photos - a couple of the marina, one looking East toward the bay, and one West to the marina/gas station and 'fake' lighthouse.

MECHANICS:

Throttle - not a 100% yet; handles tending to move forward, but no problems with locking, and am able to have idle and WOT [wide open throttle] - it's just that the handle's range of movement has shifted 'forward'. Hmmm. The reservoir hydraulic fluid level is unchanged and the pressure is stable at 84.

Monitoring - the oil levels are fine, with the port engine now definitely above the minimum after the 1qt top-up; the stbd will likely need some in Norfolk; the voltages are great after a day of charging by the alternators; the fuel filter Racors are at '0' - perfect. Fuel tanks are at 60% [= another 230 miles before filling again, allowing for a 20% reserve as well].

That's all folks. Tomorrow, assuming the forecast is accurate, we will cross the 15 miles of Albemarle Sound - with its 37 miles of potential fetch to the West - to get to the Pasquotank R. and Elizabeth City. 'Fetch' refers to the distance along an open waterway over which wind blows and can build up waves without any obstruction - the longer the distance, and the greater the wind, the worse the 'fetch' will be -- and, consequently, the rougher the ride in a boat. The Albemarle Sound, because of its long East-West stretch of open water which enables a serious fetch, has, with the prevailing westerly winds, a reputation of producing a very nasty situation for boaters. Our no-go point is a wind >10mph. So we will be going shortly after dawn, with the winds forecast to be West at 5mph. If the fetch produces waves >2ft on our beam, we may cancel travel and return to the marina or anchor out over night. Stay tuned.

Carry on distancing while staying in touch. There are rumors the Canadian government may not open the border this year at all, which will not have a huge impact on us except we won't be able to go up the Champlain Route to the St.Lawrence but will have to go via the Erie and Oswego Canal system instead, which is more westward, to get into Lake Ontario and the Thousand Is. where we will be putting the boat up in September for the winter.