Alligator River Marina - at a dock

I view of the Pungo-Alligator Canal, it's hard to imagine how anyone could get through that jungle!

We had intended anchoring out at Pungo River by the entrance to the Pungo-Alligator Canal but when we got there by 11:30 it was just too early to quit, even for us. So we soldiered on to  Alligator River Marina. We used to anchor out around the Alligator River until one time when we were visited by Fuzzy Bills (by the thousands). We anchored up by the entrance to the river and were the only boat for miles around with lights. Well, that attracted what is called, "Fuzzy Bills". They look just like mosquitos except they don't bite. However, they make up for that advantageous trait by dying by the thousands on your boat overnight. So you wake up in the morning and discover your boat is now green. Some people have reported having to use a shovel to remove the carcasses off the decks.  When it happened to me, I put into Dowry Creek Marina and spent three hours removing the green slime. I was one of three boats with the same problem. Given that experience, I no longer anchor out in the vicinity of the Albemarle Sound.

It's not a real marina, just a roadside gas station with a few docks but they are located in a convenient
place for us making the run from RE Mayo and Coinjock

The Alligator River Bridge is a real problem. We called ahead to be sure they knew we were coming since some reports said they wanted two hours' notice. So we called in the morning when we first set out and again about two hours before our arrival. It made no difference at all. They seemed intent on making all boaters await at least 45 minutes before opening the bridge. The operative word is "wait". We had a 15 kt southern wind with accompanying waves but it made no difference to the crew working on the bridge. In order to get through you had to punch your waiting ticket first. Nobody just rolls up to the bridge and gets through right away. We heard that it won't be done until sometime in May of 2019!

We are secure for the night and have both the forward and aft AC units going full tilt. The cabin temperature when we arrived was 95 and the outside temperature was in the high 80's. We will head for Coinjock on Tuesday and then on to Hampton. After that, it's looking for a weather window to go up the Chesapeake and home.