June 6th... Little Alligator River to Elizabeth City.

Happy Birthday Annie!

The Albemarle Sound and Pasquotank River were both like glass today. It was foggy with visibility at about a mile and nothing in sight except crab pots. The 30 miles to Elizabeth were uneventful. The heat however was noteworthy. It was the hottest day that we have had in almost a year on the water. Arriving at Elizabeth City which has been known for years for their hospitality toward cruisers, we found that we were in the midst of the Carolina Cup Regatta.

After docking, the crews of Sapphire and Solitaire headed for the nearest air conditioning which was a restaurant adjacent to the wharf. It was so hot that we were exhausted after simply getting six lines on the boat. We had a late lunch and talked with some other cruisers spending as much time inside as we could.

The waterfront where we were staying held a carnival atmosphere... with food vendors, and parent organizations selling all kinds of things that we didn't need. We did all go for a walk to a market and purchased a few groceries. On the way back to the boats we found a seafood store and stocked up on shrimp and scallops. After a short deliberation that afternoon the decision was made to stay and watch the hydroplane races instead of moving north tomorrow.

June 7th... Elizabeth City

In the morning we walked over a block the see all the race boats lined up on the streets. The crews had erected tents over most of them and were getting everything tuned up for the days racing. There were at least four different classes and some vintage race boats from the 50's and 60's that were there to put on an exhibition.

The races started about noon and continued to about five in the afternoon. It was loud. The race course was a little more that a mile in diameter and stopped traffic on the river. Every three or four heats they stopped action and let boat traffic pass.

There was just a slight ripple on the water and some of the faster boats were hitting speeds in excess of 140 mph. Like car races, there were many blown engines, breakdowns, and other mechanical problems. One of the boats caught on fire in front and the driver had to jump in the water to avoid serious injury.

The more we watched the more we appreciated the better drivers. Track position was critical because on the rooster tails on the corners. If a boat was caught behind and just outside another, they were blinded and had to slow.

We had a nice day in the heat and had snacks on "Solitaire" in the day. Nancy invited the boat next to them which was owned and crewed by a young couple ages 18 and 19. Somehow we stayed up until midnight.