Oriental to Sea Gull

We arrived in Oriental Thursday morning after a 16 hour sail. The wind was extremely favorable and the crew witnessed quite the sunrise. In Oriental we enjoyed breakfast and coffee at the local coffee shop and explored the town. In the afternoon we sailed back to camp. We had a banquet dinner of steak and vegetables before playing some late night basketball. It has been a great trip and we hope to see the crew back at Sea Gull next year.

Wednesday in Ocracoke

We spent the day in Ocracoke Wednesday. The boys completed some boat projects in the morning and she is now in good shape. We got free time this afternoon before setting sail around 5pm. We are currently sailing through the Pamlico Sound and will arrive in Oriental in the morning.

More pictures from Tuesday

Tuesday in Ocracoke

Today was a full day in Ocracoke. The crew got free time in the morning to explore the island. In the afternoon we we took a ferry to Portsmouth Island. Portsmouth used to be a bustling sea port and fishing village. Economic and environmental forces slowly drove people off the island. Today it is a protected National Park open for tourists like us. Besides all the cool buildings the island offers great clamming. The boys filled up a big bucket with clams that we added to our low country boil. We will spend tomorrow in Ocracoke before departing in the evening for an overnight sail to oriental.

Monday to Ocracoke

We continued south through the night making our way to Ocracoke. Once we got into the Pamlico Sound the wind had picked up considerably and we were able to sail at 7 knots. We arrived in Ocracoke at 7pm. The crew rotated watches every four hours over the 36 hour journey. Once docked we enjoyed a delicious and well deserved seafood dinner at a local seafood restaurant. We will spend the next two days in Ocracoke.

Heading South to Ocracoke

We have spent all of today heading South from Norfolk. We were up at 530 and made our way back through the Dismal Swamp. We stopped at the visitors center for some air conditioning and refreshments. We raised sail once we passed Elizabeth City and have been sailing since. We are currently in the middle of the Albemarle Sound and will continue into the Alligator River throughout the night. We hope to make it to the Alligator River canal as the sun rises.

Norfolk evening pictures

The couch picture was taken if the aft salon of the American Rover. For more information on our schooner and other ships built by Merrit Walters, visit www.roverschooners.com

More Norfolk pictures

The sketch was drawn by our mate David's family friend.

Saturday in Norfolk

Saturday was a great day in Norfolk. The boys spent the morning at the Nauticus museum. As part of the museum the boys got to tour the battleship USS Wisconsin. The ship was heavily used worldwide in WWII. We got to see what it would be like to be at sea for months at a time. We went for an afternoon sail in a strong breeze and sailed by active battleships, carriers, and submarines. After our sail we had a famous dinner of ribs, mashed potatoes and broccolini. The crew then walked down the harbor and attended a Norfolk Tide baseball. Some of our crew got to cheer for their home team as they were playing the Charlotte Knights. Tomorrow we will head south towards an anchorage on the Alligator River which is halfway to Ocracoke, our next destination.

More Friday pictures

Elizabeth City to Norfolk

Today we woke up at 5am and headed through the Dismal Swamp to Norfolk. We woke up early so that we could catch the first lock. The route through the Dismal Swamp to Norfolk took 6 hours and involved multiple locks and swing bridges. Once in Norfolk we sailed around the harbor and admired the big Navy boats. We are docked up next to the American Rover, one of our larger sister ships. We had a dinner of chicken and green beans. The boys will explore the waterfront tonight.