We have been two days on the Alligator River. We didn't see any alligators but we discovered that they eat alligator and it was explained to us that they only eat the tail. They had an appetizer called 'Alligator Bits' on the menu at the restaurant last night.

We planned today's journey very carefully today because the challenge was how to get a 64 foot 9 inch mast under a 64 foot bridge. The ICW Waterway Guide explained that the 64 foot clearance may vary by 2 feet but we were lucky because the water measure on the side of the bridge was reading 64 feet. We decided that if we hoisted the dingy on it's bridal to the side of the boat and then have Joanne, Rae and Patty sit in the dingy we could gain extra clearance. It worked because we managed to heel the boat about 8 degrees and we barely cleared the bridge while bending the flexible antenna on the top of the mast. There were a few tense moments but we were very glad it all worked out. We provided quite the entertainment for the three power boats behind us. One of the boats radioed us that they could see clearance at the top of the mast but he did not know about the antenna. We're moored at Dowry Creek Marina, near Bell Haven, so we'll have about a 45 mile day tomorrow to Oriental, and as there's a gale coming tomorrow night, we want to be tied up, with only 20 miles or so to get to Beaufort.