We tried to leave Tidewater Marina on Monday, July 9, but the wind was stronger than our boat’s desire to move in forward gear, so after some excellent maneuvering by Captain Doug and assistance from our new dock neighbor, we made our way into a different slip four down from our starting location.  All’s well that ends well, though, and nothing was damaged/no one was hurt.  Making lemonade from lemons, we decided to have dinner that night at the Bier Garden in Old Town Portsmouth, bringing back some dark chocolate cookies for our neighbor who was so helpful.
Leaving Portsmouth very early on Tuesday, we had plenty of time to prepare for the opening of the Gilmerton Bridge, where two couples we know had boating accidents – it’s a tricky approach, especially if you are coming up from the south.
We tied up in Coinjock, enjoyed appetizers and salmon dinner on their patio, and departed on the 11th.  The name “Coinjock” is of Native American origin, referencing the mulberries which were prevalent in the area.   Population 335, in the middle of nowhere, Coinjock Marina attracts mega-yachts and has a restaurant offering delicious food, including their famous 32-oz. prime rib dinner, and high-end wines.  They even have an open area for landing your helicopter, should you choose to arrive by air instead of boat or car.
On to the Alligator River Marina (now owned by the folks at Shallowbag Bay Marina in Manteo), this is not my most favorite stop when we’re cruising north of New Bern, but with few protected anchorages in the area, it is the best choice if bad weather is in the forecast.  We requested a tie-up at the wall as opposed to a slip, and we were directed to a space right behind the restaurant/convenience store site.  We weren’t too crazy about this spot, but it was only for one night, so there we stayed — temporarily!  We were sitting in our cockpit when the work boats came back from the construction project on the Alligator River Bridge, and shortly after they tied up for the night, one of the workers yelled, “Be careful here at the dumpster — there’s a mother bear and her cub inside.”  Unfortunately, one of the men decided to bang on the outside of the dumpster, frightening the mother bear and her cub, who climbed out and ran — in opposite directions.  Now there’s a problem!   The manager of the restaurant/grill came outside and, after insisting the dockmaster take care of the doors on the dumpster, asked if we didn’t want to come inside to have dinner that night.  We first requested a change of location to a slip, which was the next strong directive she gave to the dockmaster, so we started the engine, untied the lines, and moved our boat; thinking the suggestion to eat somewhere other than our boat was a wise one, we walked over and had dinner (burgers, barbeque) indoors.  As it happened, the mother bear came back looking for her cub, and actually jumped up to look inside one of the back windows to the restaurant.  (Some of the pictures below were taken from inside.)
While we were having dinner, we reconnected with people we met while in Solomons, who actually keep their boat in Northwest Creek!  (How funny that we traveled hundreds of miles to meet people who are only a few piers away from us.)   They thought eating dinner inside the restaurant was a wise move, too.   Anyway, they were also tied up to the wall, but being on the opposite end towards the channel into the marina, they decided to stay there.  The following day, we were talking with them on the VHF radio, and they told us of their excitement the night before, when they heard bumping on the side of their boat and decided to check the lines — they got as far as their companionway door and saw the mother bear In Their Cockpit!!!   She was still searching for her cub.   Years ago, when we were hiking and camping out west, we learned from the park rangers that man is the biggest threat to bears.  Had the bridge worker just left the mother and cub alone, they would have come out together and gone back into the woods.  Fortunately for our friends, they remained safe inside the cabin of their boat and had little damage to their cockpit enclosure.
Next stop:  Dowry Creek Marina, another facility with new owners who are doing a fabulous job of bringing a fresh look to this quaint place.  We cooled off in their pool, had a quiet night’s sleep, and headed for home on Friday morning.   The day started off with a light breeze, some clouds which were welcomed after so many days of heat, and an amazingly bug-free trip through Goose Creek and lowlands.  Then everything changed:  Out on the Bay River, the winds picked up along with the waves, and we saw wind guests of 25 knots, with the highest observed being 27 knots while traveling at 8.8 mph.  We continued on through to the Neuse River, arriving back at our dock less than 12 hours from our departure time — we usually make this trip with an overnight stop.
We’re now starting to pack up our belongings and will be back at home to sleep tonight (July 14) after another fun and memorable cruise.

The beginning of a quiet dinner indoors.

Now the excitement begins . . . .

Mama bear walking alongside the restaurant.

Now she is making a dangerous crossing over		the highway in search of her cub.

Our friends and their boat — safe and sound.

Dowry Creek evening.