The weathered in blues

Up until now, I have been lucky with the weather on this leg of the loop.  I've had only three of days where I have been "weathered in".  One or two may have been in an abundance of caution after my anchor dragging experience.  But also because I am doing the Loop, I don't need to travel in the rain.

  

Swan Point Marina

The first day of being stuck because of the weather was in Sneads Ferry, NC.  It was a well worn marina, where I saw the guy when I check in and then only caught a glimpse of him one other time during my stay.  It was a repair facility and marina, there were a lot of half junked out boats in the yard.   Since there was no courtesy car, I spent the morning on a few boat projects of my own and then spent the rest of the day wondering the yard.  I decided that this marina was run by a minimalist when it comes to maintenance. The gaps in the boards on the dock were a good inch and a half to 2 inches, I am sure he saved himself a lot of boards with those gaps. And don't even get me started on the bathroom and showers.  There was a restaurant about 4 miles away that would come pick you up from the marina.  I ate there one night for a diversion, they had good food.

Dowry Creek Marina

The second marina I was weathered in was Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC.  What a difference.  This marina was well maintained. They offered a courtesy car, the showers were great and they had a swimming pool.  Brad, the dock master, was constantly on the dock checking on things.  They had a phone booth in the back of the marina office.   I don't think there was a phone in it, but it was quirky.
Belhaven and Dowry Creek and in Beaufort County, NC.
I borrowed the courtesy car and went to the town of Belhaven.  Brad gave me directions, to which I really didn't pay attention (I'll just use my phone, thank you).  I hit the road and as I get to the T in the road I remember Brad mentioning, I pulled out my phone only to see "No Service".  Well it was a 50/50 shot, I turned right.  Brad said Belhaven was 6 miles away.  So after 6 miles, I turned around and went back past the T and went to Belhaven.  By this time, I was starting to worry about the fuel level in the car.  I thought if I run out of gas I can't even call for help.  
It seems that all of the homes in the area are built about 4 feet off the ground, it must get them above the flood plain. I went to the Ace Hardware store.  It was a hardware/craft/thrift store. On the way back to the marina a black bear and cub scampered across the road in front of me.  Bard said that there was a bear trail that crossed the road there and it was like their interstate highway, he sees them there all the time.  The house right next to where I saw the bear was for sale, I guess they are tired of bears using their driveway as part of the bear interstate.

The clouds are starting to clear at
Calvert Marina, Solomons, MD

The third weathered in was at Calvert Marina in Solomons, MD.  I again took this opportunity to take care of some boat projects.  The hour meter has not been working since I installed it. I was determine to find the problem (and I did).  I also wanted to measure my mast height (I found out it was taller than I was told when I purchased the boat, glad I measured it).  Solomons Island, MD is home to  Naval Air Station, Patuxent River.  There were Navy jets flying around.  It was so cloudy you could hear them and then they would come through the clouds to land right across the river from the marina.
West Marine close by and I wanted to get a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to attach to my life jacket, They had a courtesy car, but unfortunately it was not in working order (maybe tomorrow).  I summoned an Uber to take me to West Marine. There was a grocery store close to West Marine, so I stopped in there for a few supplies.  I decided it wasn't that far back to the marina, so I would walk back.  I didn't notice that part of the road had no shoulder or sidewalks.  Fortunately it wasn't that far, but I was ready to make a made dash, if a car were to start coming.

Captain Bill's Landing, Point Pleasant, NJ

Well my luck has run out.  I am weathered in for what may be 4 days in Point Pleasant, NJ.  I guess it could be worse.  The forecast for Monday through Thursday is 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms with highs in the mid 50s.  I am Looping, no need to travel in the cold and rain. I'll take the time to finalize the arrangements in NY for getting the mast down and storing the boat for a month.  Who knows I might even get down to the Boardwalk.




Lesson Learned:
Your weather luck runs out, always build in weather days in the "schedule".

Listen to directions, your phone may not work when you need it.