Whittaker Pointe NC, After A Long Day

May 5, 2022

When we left Southport, our destination was Oriental, NC. It will be our longest travel day to date. We were trying to get some miles behind us because we stayed an extra day or two at Deep Point Marina, partly because of the fridge repair, but mostly because of the people. There is a strong nor-easter wind forecasted for the coming week and people are already talking about it and planning for it. Our plan is to be further along and closer to the Chesapeake Bay when it starts to blow.

On this day, the run through the ICW was smooth and uneventful. As we made our way to the ocean for an outside run, it was a different story. The rollers in the ocean were incredible. We'd guessed that they were about 30 feet apart and maybe three to four feet in height. They were also very wide and slow moving. We had thought we were in for a treat of a day since the water looked calm, but we learn each time, the ocean just moves differently. We had planned for a 10 hour travel day and now six of these hours were going to be rougher than expected. Imagine driving in a car with smooth rolling hills every 30 feet for six hours. This is how the kids handled it.

I will say it again, our family doesn't suffer from motion sickness, so this surprises us every time! Gord puts us up on plane and we burn through some miles and fuel as we push onward towards our destination. We left Deep Point Marina fully fueled up with 810 gallons of diesel and with the 200 gallon fresh water tanks filled as well. That means we are carrying 1010 gallons of liquid equaling about 5751 pounds of diesel and 1660 pounds of water. Adding in Gord's stash of beer, that means the total weight of Holy Cow is over 67000 pounds. For future planning, we decide that next time, maybe we wont' be so full and pushing and extra 6700 pounds while up on plane. Have you seen the fuel prices?

Soon after everyone was on the bridge, the sea sickness subsided and we enjoyed some family time. It's impossible to get any work done, or school work done under these conditions, so we passed the time in other ways. The kids are amazing. Gord is amazing. These long lumpy travel days can be exhausting, but everyone, including the dogs, just rolls with the punches and makes the best of it.

As we leave the ocean and cut inland towards Oriental, our plans of anchoring change. It would be nice to be at a dock this evening. It makes getting the dogs to shore easier (we don't need to lower the dinghy) and it would be nice to just tie up and plug into shore power after such a long day. I called a few marina's and no one had room. Things weren't looking promising until I contacted Whittaker Pointe marina. It was a little further along than we had planned to go, but he had a spot for us. Something noteworthy along this stretch, at about 14:50 on the travel log in Adam's Creek, we passed Jarrett Bay Boat Works which is where the prestigious Jarrett Bay vessels are made. As we made our way through the channel to Neuse River we were a stone's throw from our dock spot. When we arrived at Whittaker Pointe and settled onto our "T" head dock assignment, it was a relief. It was already nearly 5:30 and we still had post travel chores to complete and get dinner to get on the table.

Whittaker Pointe Marina should not be mistaken for Whittaker Creek which is within eyesight, but is a complete eyesore. Whittaker Pointe is quite lovely and perfect for a one night stopover. Once we were tied, Brooklyn and I took the dogs up to the lawn and met with the dockmaster to settle up for our night's stay. It's a long walk along the docks and pilings to the dockmaster's office, but it feels good to stretch our legs. It's a shame I don't have photos of the interior of this facility. It was so cute and clean and the bathhouse facilities were the nicest we'd seen on this trip. As I was finishing up the paper work, I glanced out the window and could see Gord hosing down Holy Cow, and if you've forgotten why this is necessary, shame on you.

Once the chores are done and dinner is in the oven, the kids decide to throw their fishing lines into the bay to see what might bite. What they see are jellyfish which surprises all of us for some reason. There will be no swimming here! Truthfully, we haven't been in the water since the Florida Keys, which is disappointing.

We were exhausted from our travel day and planned to be off the dock early the next morning Our plan is to get 300 miles behind us in these few days and then hunker down in the coming wind. It's showing no signs of letting up, so we need to plan accordingly.

As we prep to leave in the morning, five otters were diving, spinning and playing about on our starboard side. I woke Brooklyn up out of a deep sleep because I knew she would love to see them. Otters are so stinkin' cute and they are even more relevant after having seen them at the aquarium with Gramma and Pappy just a few days ago. Unfortunately, the objects in the video appear further away than they actually were, but we will leave the footage here all the same.

As luck would have it this morning, the breeze was blowing us off the dock, so we simply untied and drifted off the dock and quietly made our way back out to the Neuse River. Our next destination is an anchorage in Alligator River.

Voyage Log

Deep Point Marina to Whittaker Pointe travel log here.