Monday, October 24th, 2011, Geoff’s birthday

Bay River, entrance to Bear River, NC

  We joined the parade of boats entering the Alligator-Pungo Canal and made good time to marker G15 where we turned into Dowry Creek Marina to get fuel and a pump-out.  A sailboat was stranded on land from Hurricane Irene, which had done a lot of damage to the Belhaven area.  Our plan was to spend the night but, since we made such good time, we opted to continue, wanting to cross the Pamlico River while the going was good.  We motorsailed down the Pungo and across the Pamlico River into Goose Creek, where we furled the jib.  Other boats were pulling off into little creeks to anchor.  Just at the end of the creek/canal a barge was taking up most of the channel and Ken almost had to go outside the channel to let him pass.  We rounded the corner and came into this wide area with fairly good protection from everything but the south.  One other boat came in and anchored.