RE Mayo - at their dock

As I said, this is not really a marina, just a face dock - and even that is generous

We had heard (incorrectly) that you needed to give a two hour warning to the Alligator River Bridge before passing through it. A friend traveling with us called the bridge number at night and left a message that he wanted to pass through at 7:00 am the next day. So with that, we decided to take the same opening. At this time of the year, 7:00 am is barely light but we arrived on-time. We also learned that the start of bridge maintenance had been delayed until 10/30/2017, two weeks from now. The two hour notice requirement came out in a Notice to Mariners from the Coast Guard. I still don't know if that's true but it didn't apply to us since the construction work won't start until 10/30.

The bathroom for transients

There were winds of 25 kts and greater forecast for later in the day which was another reason for the early departure. Once underway, we decided to make for RE Mayo instead of the Pungo anchorage. RE Mayo was 65 Nm distant and we didn't arrive until 3:30 pm, just before the rains started. The winds were as predicted around 20 kts but they were all aft of the boat so the ride was fine.

We found the docks empty (you just come and dock, there are no reservations) and plugged into the only 30 amp outlet. This is not a real marina. The docks are worn to say the least and there's only one electrical outlet. On the other hand, the price is right at $0.40/ft including electric. The bathrooms are outhouses, there are no showers. But it is a good place to stock up on frozen seafood. Specifically shrimp, scallops, and flounder - all caught locally. The place is home to four very large (60 ft) shrimp boats.

This is the height board for the southern bridge on the Alligator - Pungo canal

So we are tucked in for the night and probably for the next few days since 30 kt plus winds are forecast for the Neuse River on Tuesday, not good conditions for going down the Neuse. Our next stop will be the Homer Smith Marina in Beaufort.

The ICW along here is home to huge barges that pass within 100 ft of the docks

A message to first time ICW travelers: this weather is not normal! For the first seven years of our travels on the ICW, the weather has usually  been warm and the winds light (well, except for hurricane Matthew last year - was that a start of a trend?) So don't be discouraged by this year's weather. It's been much too cold and windy.