Planning cruise to Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree in Ocracoke
Docked Horn Harbor Marina

Boat preparations are just about complete. I still need to change the injector oil in the engine. The britework re-coating is almost finished. The washing machine is in the CRV ready to be loaded onto the boat. Susan has gone through all the old food aboard and is restocking. We have taken the dinghy home as we don’t plan on anchoring out and taking the dinghy ashore anywhere during the cruise. The diver is coming to clean the hull and running gear Friday.

Hurricane Matthew has really messed our plans up. We were planning on doing the Albemarle Loop http://albemarleloop.com if we had left today, however, the hurricane has all the routes messed up with floating trees, parts of docks and crazy high water. We were going down the Dismal Swamp canal to Elizabeth Cit, but it appears that it will be a long time before the canal and Pasquotank River are passable to get to Elizabeth City.

That leads us to the second route The Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal. Well two bridges were damaged and not operational. We read the entire AICW was impassible for the entire length of North Carolina. As of this writing we believe that it is open. But still, how about the marinas. We would like to stay at 3 or 4 marinas on the way down. We can anchor out if they are closed due to damage. But getting information is very sketchy.
Ocracoke was very hard hit and is not getting much coverage. WOVV, Ocracoke’s radio station lost it’s antenna during the storm and is only streaming music.

I’ll give everyone a few more days before I start pestering about the Pirate’s Festival. Everyone down there in Ocracoke and all the marinas along the way have lots of things to do before they
can think of fun at the Pirate’s jamboree.
OK while writing this I was made aware that the Blackbeard Pirates Jamboree has been canceled.

So, Susan and I will be cruising around the Chesapeake Bay for our fall cruise.
Best to all at Ocracoke. We will see in 2017 for the Ocrafolk Music Festival and next years Blackbeard Pirates Jamboree.

So, it's Saturday night now and we are on the boat
getting ready for a Wednesday pull out for a couple weeks SOMEWHERE.

Today’s Picture is a picture of Blackbeard at Howard’s Pub last year.