Our Saturday at SeaGate marina was lovely...Dakota ran and ran...lots of grass and open space...right off the boat! We planned our trip into Norfolk...short days...and hoped the weather would hold.

We left Sunday AM at o'dark thirty...hoping to beat the impending wind to cross Pamlico Sound...well, that didn't happen! It was rocky, rolly...and somewhere along the way we noticed a need for a pump out ....disgusting !! A quick call to the marina where we'd planned to stop was not reassuring! Seems their pump out station was NOT working and they had no plans to get it up and running! Our quick thinking Captain put the pencil to the map...and said, " if you can handle another 4 hours, we might as well venture on to Coinjock." . A quick call to that marina and we just kept on peddling...across Albemarle Sound and into the ditch that took us into Coinjock..rocky rolly, rolly rocky...wind coming from behind so driving from the fly bridge was okay..Coinjock Marina is just a wall on the ICW...and it appeared that everyone we saw that day was also attempting to beat the storm ... the place was packed and once again, TUMBLEWEED was the oldest smallest boat on the dock...a pump out (relief) ...and a geat little restaurant! They are noted for their prime rib...and was I ever glad I ventured over to reserve us some! The couple sitting  behind us was not so lucky....

Still the storm was approaching...it was all the other captains were discussing...leave early to beat it or wait and follow it??? At 6AM, Floyd's call was to wait...everyone else had already headed out...so we waited...and left around 1PM...not a bad choice! Crossing Cuttuck/ Coinjock sound was certainly more comfortable than we expected...but it was narrow skinny water so Captain doesn't get as much help driving as when it is deep and wide...and we made great time....Well, except for that one bridge that refuses to open between 4-6 PM....so we missed that by 20 minutes! Now waiting til 6.... But once through there we could see Atlantic Yacht Basin...another wall marina on the ICW. We slid right in....and at exactly 8PM, the wind shifted abruptly to the north...temp dropped 30 degrees in 40 minutes...and the rains came...and the winds blew!