Friday evening we attended the Elizabeth City Rose Buddies welcome reception for boaters, and then prowled the downtown streets for their First Friday Art Walk with Muriel and Tutty from s/v Mistress, topping off the evening with one of the Draft House's many to choose from.

Saturday at 10:30 AM Kevin executed a picture perfect cast off from the dock where Grace was sandwiched between two rafted boats forward and astern. After another uneventful crossing of the Albemarle Sound and through the dogleg of shoals before the Alligator River Swing Bridge at 4 PM we dropped the hook for our first time just a few miles beyond the bridge near the mouth of Second Creek. As the lone boat in the anchorage we enjoyed a pink sunset, followed by 360 degrees of crisp visibility for stargazing.

Weighing anchor yesterday morning at 9:30, we got to see a pair of bald eagles early in our transit of the Alligator Pungo Canal, and then later something swimming across the canal (possibly a mink?). There were helpful VHF radio calls from vessels as the day's passage was navigated past several logs. At 3:30 PM we dropped the hook as the second boat, for our first time at the top of the Pungo River; a parade of another dozen boats pulled in during the remaining daylight.

Today shortly after 9 AM we were underway for about an hour before stopping for marina services, finishing the day's passage shortly thereafter, anchoring shortly before noon in Pantego Creek. In town we had lunch, went to the hardware store, the Belhaven Memorial Museum, and the public library.

We were able to motor-sail during portions of each of these passages.

The above shot is of the parade of southbound boats behind us this morning.