Often times unanswered prayers lead to unexpected blessings. Two things have been forefront with this little paddle adventure… how beautiful our coastline is with all the various landscapes and bodies of water, and the generosity and kindheartedness of people who care about our coastline.
Our day began saying goodbye to Captain Ron who spent the past 3 days keeping us hydrated and safe. Ron, we are so grateful for you, your support, and the "Ronisms" that kept us smiling throughout. Thank you.
We thought we were going to be on our own up Adams Creek until, out of the blue, Bobby and Heather Brewer - who had seen our post on the TownDock.net website - emailed at 5:57 AM this morning to say that they were in Oriental, had a boat, and would love to run up Adams Creek and across the Neuse River to Oriental with us. In fact, they offered to do this on a day they had taken off to spend their 15th anniversary together. Thank you Heather and Bobby!! (We will all be here for support when you kayak the NC coastline in 2014.)
Through Adams Creek, we paddled over lines of rays swimming underneath, began to see frequent white and purple jellies floating along, and caught a little bit of current and wind at the end for a fun ride. We stopped just before the creek opened up into the Neuse to assess the crossing which would involve some fairly significant wind out of the south west and while "assessing", 2 dolphin were mating next to our boat. We all decided that it was the first time any of us had seen a dolphin penis in the wild. The crossing was dicey and a lot of work, but we made it in to Toucan Harbor for a warm welcome from Andrew, Richard and Oliver (our next support system, and loved ones), a fish sandwich and sweet tea.
After lunch, we intended to try to run up the left side of the Neuse to River Dunes Marina, and beyond, but with a huge storm coming in, and 25-30+ mph winds pushing us straight into the shore, we decided to go for it early tomorrow AM instead. Bobby and Heather let us store our boards at the place and we headed to River Dunes Marina for a good night's sleep. River Dunes was the first marina to respond to our messages inquiring about what initiatives marinas were taking to keep the ocean healthy. And we have learned since that, not only are they a designated "NC Clean Marina" with the NC Dept. of Coastal Management, they also have the most beautiful, welcoming marina with charming cottages that have offered a much needed respite as we sit watching the front moving over us, and trying to figure out what route to take tomorrow.
As we prepare for the rest of our adventure, we want to say a special thank you, again, to Patty and David Tikkala, who have graciously offered Fishy Pursuits to head up to Virginia with us, and to Andrew, Richard and Oliver for captaining Fishy Pursuits and keeping us entertained and well-cared for throughout the last 150 miles.
Our day began saying goodbye to Captain Ron who spent the past 3 days keeping us hydrated and safe. Ron, we are so grateful for you, your support, and the "Ronisms" that kept us smiling throughout. Thank you.
We thought we were going to be on our own up Adams Creek until, out of the blue, Bobby and Heather Brewer - who had seen our post on the TownDock.net website - emailed at 5:57 AM this morning to say that they were in Oriental, had a boat, and would love to run up Adams Creek and across the Neuse River to Oriental with us. In fact, they offered to do this on a day they had taken off to spend their 15th anniversary together. Thank you Heather and Bobby!! (We will all be here for support when you kayak the NC coastline in 2014.)
Through Adams Creek, we paddled over lines of rays swimming underneath, began to see frequent white and purple jellies floating along, and caught a little bit of current and wind at the end for a fun ride. We stopped just before the creek opened up into the Neuse to assess the crossing which would involve some fairly significant wind out of the south west and while "assessing", 2 dolphin were mating next to our boat. We all decided that it was the first time any of us had seen a dolphin penis in the wild. The crossing was dicey and a lot of work, but we made it in to Toucan Harbor for a warm welcome from Andrew, Richard and Oliver (our next support system, and loved ones), a fish sandwich and sweet tea.
After lunch, we intended to try to run up the left side of the Neuse to River Dunes Marina, and beyond, but with a huge storm coming in, and 25-30+ mph winds pushing us straight into the shore, we decided to go for it early tomorrow AM instead. Bobby and Heather let us store our boards at the place and we headed to River Dunes Marina for a good night's sleep. River Dunes was the first marina to respond to our messages inquiring about what initiatives marinas were taking to keep the ocean healthy. And we have learned since that, not only are they a designated "NC Clean Marina" with the NC Dept. of Coastal Management, they also have the most beautiful, welcoming marina with charming cottages that have offered a much needed respite as we sit watching the front moving over us, and trying to figure out what route to take tomorrow.
As we prepare for the rest of our adventure, we want to say a special thank you, again, to Patty and David Tikkala, who have graciously offered Fishy Pursuits to head up to Virginia with us, and to Andrew, Richard and Oliver for captaining Fishy Pursuits and keeping us entertained and well-cared for throughout the last 150 miles.
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