(photo of MHNC

DAY THREE (from Terese)

The Pamlico Sound was smooth as pancake batter and Eleanor slit the surface in all of her elegance, turning gracefully into the Neuse River and Adams Creek. We arrived in Moorehead, North Carolina in plenty of time to grocery shop (there’s a bar in the Lowe’s food store!) and get back for beer and dinner at the Red Fish Restaurant. Murky rain and a damp chill = early bed times. By 4am we were drinking coffee, planning day four’s attack on the ICW. Gale winds were blasting the bimini top though, causing Eleanor’s top to flap and rustle. Inside our dockage, waves crashed over the pier. As we watched our designated departure time of 7am dissolve, we aimed instead for breakfast at Grumpy’s, which bears no evidence of its moniker. Naps and emails followed. By 1pm the wind was still beating up the shore. I envisioned myself left hanging by one arm from a piling as Eleanor bobbled away. (Many of our dockages have bow pilings. It is my job to “lasso” them using docking sticks on the way in and de-lasso on the way out. Really, it’s a whole other blog.) Luckily my husband made the call: we surrendered for the day, Jon and Craig opting to tinker with engines while Jenn and I went shopping. I’d like to offer a plug for a lovely olive oil shop, an old fashioned General Store and a few galleries. We were disappointed, though that a shop boasting the best coffee in North Carolina, closed at 2:15pm! Really over -the-top yummy dinner at Catch 109. New ICW goal: oyster sampling!

White caps in our dockage