This was one of our longer days: 53 miles. That doesn’t sound like very far, but when blazing through the aqua at speeds of 7.5 knots (that’s over 8.5 mph), it can be a pretty long day. Traveling on a boat at this speed capacity not only allows us to stop and smell the roses, sometimes we can actually watch them grow.
We pulled out at 07500 (10 till 8). The big adventure was the excitement of passing through the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal. Stories of osprey, bald eagles, alligators, and even an occasional bear sighting had us pumped with anticipation. As it turned out, we saw 5 horseflies, 2 of which drew blood. This man-made canal was long and straight. Did I say straight? Were it not for the other occasional boats we met and passed us, I could have set the auto-pilot, taken a nap, had lunch, and read War and Peace without ever touching the wheel.
Stern view 
Bow view
We did get to steer from the flybridge which was nice, as the weather has not been quite warm enough to enjoy it often. I love having lunch up there. For those who know me well, Doritos are my main staple. Having them on the bridge is always a game of cat and mouse. I have figured out this week that bringing the bag to bridge, in lieu of few on the plate, guarantees entry into my mouth.
Our anchorage this night was on the Upper Alligator River (Mile Marker 101.1). An old logging channel had been cut in the basin and was well marked on our charts. We eased into the area with plenty of water (depth) and settled in. Though the tide swing in this area is virtually non-existent, the current does change slightly. The boat swings on the hook (aka anchor). The beauty of this particular place was we got to watch a fabulous sunset from our back porch. And then got to watch an even more spectacular sunrise from…. our back porch. Living in a mobile home that floats has a few disadvantages, but having a different back yard, not only every day, but twice a day, is a pretty cool “thang”.
Sunset Tuesday evening 
Sunrise Wednesday morning